The Kismet Scribe
by nozomi.no.uta
Summary: She's ordinary: ordinary life, ordinary family, ordinary ordinary...so she thought until she has dreams of yellow orbs and a black-cloaked, red-haired man who tells her she's got it memorized.
1. Sea

**EDITED 6/17/2010**

**Author's Comments:** I've made huge revisions to this story! If you've read this story already, I encourage you to read it again and to comment on the revisions made. My main hopes for this re-edited version include _showing_ you more than _telling_ you and indulging in Imani's journey of self-discovery with much more descriptive detail. Please let me know what you think!

This story takes place after KH2. It was my pathetic (desperate, but effective) attempt to occupy myself through the rest of the summer. It has no connection whatsoever to whatever brilliant ideas Mr. Nomura has in mind for future Kingdom Hearts chapters, as I can only _dream_ of coming up with something worthy of turning into a video game as amazing as any of the Kingdom Hearts games. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I do own Imani.

* * *

_It's dark._

_Being in the dark hasn't bothered me before, but now...the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. An uncomfortable, sticky weight sits in the pit of my stomach. My hands start to sweat. A steady, quick-paced drumbeat pounds against my ribcage. _

_Something seems off about this dream...but I can't place my finger on the reason. No matter how hard I squint, I can't see anything. No shapes or edges. Nothing. _

_I squint harder, blink a few times, and squint again, turning my head from left to right. There _has_ to be something here...not that I _want_ to find the cause of my unease._

_"...She's ready..."  
_

_My heart leaps to my throat and I freeze in place._

_"Soon...rts of our own..."_

_"...Superior..."  
_

_Whisperings so soft I second-guess my hearing them at all. My only proof of hearing the voices are the goosebumps rising from my skin. _

_"...smet Scr..."  
_

_Who's there? Who are you?_

_Instead of an answer, a low noise rips through the silence. It sounds like...something being _sucked_ through a drain__...  
_

_I blink furiously, whipping my head from side to side in a vain effort to identify the source of the sound. I can't pinpoint exact locations; the noise seems to be all around me, ringing in my ears and drowning me in what sounds like an invisible vortex. __My temples throb the more I crane my neck. Sweat breaks out on my back and my pajamas stick to my skin and the pounding in my chest intensifies with each increasing decibel of the noise and I feel like I can't breathe in enough air_—

_Yellow. Blinding yellow orbs force me to shut my eyes in pain. As the sucking noise blasts my ears, gusts of air whoosh past my body, chilling my wet skin and raking through my short hair like swiping fingers. When I open my eyes again, a soundless scream constricts my throat._

_A sea of bobbing yellow orbs surround me, casting a collective glow on the claw-covered floor and reflecting off the jagged edges of toothy mouths. Though my limbs feel like they've turned to stone, with much effort I take a step back...  
_

_Something icy and solid brushes against my ankle. A shiver races down my sweaty spine. A shriek rips through my lungs, hardly loud enough to override the chaotic racket deafening me._

_Help...  
_

"_Imani!"_

_I pant for air, press my arms against my chest tightly, cross one leg over the other, and wonder how a dream could possibly be as realistically horrifying as this.__  
_

"_Imani! Fight!"_

_My eyes dart around above the yellow sea. Huffing and puffing quickly becomes sobbing. Who's calling my name? _

"FIGHT, _Imani!"_

_Warm wetness pool at my eyes and the orbs blend into each other like smeared paint. Noise drowns out the voice, but not the panic and fear frying my nerves._

_Please...whoever you are..._Help me...

"Imani!"

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** Yes, I'm _painfully_ aware of how short this is. At least there was a little familiarity in the whispering characters. Can you guess who they are? (I'm sure you can.)

Please leave a review! Thank you for reading!


	2. Just Dreams

**EDITED 6/17/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Sadly, no Kingdom Hearts characters here. I _promise_ you'll recognize a familiar appearance in the next chapter, though.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

I wake with a start, slightly out of breath and clutching my comforter until my knuckles turn white.

"Jeez," someone sighs. "Don't scare me like that. I thought you were having a seizure or something."

My eyes dart to the source of the voice. A boy slightly older than me shoots me a glare as he runs a hand through his dark side-swept hair. I can't suppress the flinch zinging through my body. "A-Aden…" I manage to croak out.

His chocolate-colored eyes soften as he looks me over. "You okay?"

As I take deep breaths, I let my eyes roam around me, the death-grip of my panic steadily loosening as I take note of the morning sunlight shining through the drab-colored curtains, the dresser spilling over with half-folded clothes, the shelf of books, Aden...

"Y-Yeah." I nod slowly, sinking into my bed as exhaustion weighed down my body.

"Mom and I were wondering why you'd always seem so exhausted in the morning this past week." The bed dips under his weight as he sits down. "You should've said you were having nightmares."

I choose to not answer, but a frown twists my chapped lips. My fingers fiddle with the end of the quilt covering me from the waist down as I avoid his piercing gaze. The blanket's starting to tatter…

"Imani?" His hand covers mine, giving a small squeeze. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Don't you have work today?" I ask.

"It's Saturday, sis. I don't start work until four." His fingers find my chin, forcing me to look him square in the eye. "We can talk all day if you want." Aden smiles reassuringly.

* * *

"Yellow orbs, huh?" Aden's eyebrows inch together as he bites into his toast. "What do they do?"

I swallow down the tinge of fear that caught in my throat before murmuring, "They come after me. All five billion of them."

"Oh..." He eyes the untouched food on my plate. "What about the voices?"

"I can't hear them anymore. The noise drowns them out."

"Then what happens?"

"I end up just standing frozen in place." My fingers tighten around the mug of lukewarm hot cocoa in my hands. "I feel them brushing against my leg a few times...All I can do is scream..."

"You don't have to go into detail if you don't want to."

"O-Oh." I shift a little, finally handing him the plate of food I know I'm not going to eat.

His eyebrows draw closer together almost as if to say _I really think you should eat something_, but he takes the plate and stacks it over his own. "Anything else happen?"

I stare at the wall across me, trying to pick out as many details as I can from memory without flinching. "Someone calls my name."

"Who?"

"I…I don't know. I think it was a guy's voice."

"You didn't see him? But he just called your name?"

"Well...He told me to fight."

"Fight?" His eyebrows shoot up. "Like combat?"

"Yeah. He was shouting, 'Imani! Fight!'" I imitate the voice as best I can in that same way he shouted. The rasp kind of takes away from the urgency, though...

"Did you?"

I glance away sheepishly. "I couldn't," I whisper.

He hums thoughtfully, letting my reply fade into silence. "Maybe you'll be able to fight tonight," Aden muses. "You said your dreams build on each other every night, so if you have that dream again tonight, then maybe you'll find something to fight back with. Or maybe you'll find out who's been calling your name."

My forehead creases in worry and my frown deepens. I don't exactly _want_ to keep having this dream…

Aden's hand reaches out to ruffle my slightly tangled hair. "Hey. It'll be alright. They're just dreams."

I sigh, leaning into his touch. "Yeah."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Please keep reading and be sure to review!


	3. Stranger

**Author's Comments: **Finally! I can actually bring a Kingdom Hearts character into the story! If my descriptions are vivid enough, you _should _be able to identify who he is.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted by an *). I own Imani (and Aden).

* * *

_Once again, darkness surrounds me. I have to tell myself to ignore the weight in my stomach and the sweat traveling down my back, repeating those words Aden offered me: This is just a dream.  
_

_Still, my hands ball into fists as I try to keep them from shaking. Anticipating the sucking noise drowning out my own thoughts doesn't ease the jitters leaping beneath my skin. Any second, those yellow orbs will blind me and those icy smooth claws will tickle my ankles…_

_No. This is just a dream. This is just a dream.  
_

"_Hey."_

_I jump, a small "eep" slipping out and echoing in the abyss.  
_

"_Whoa. Skittish, aren't ya?"_

_My eyes dart aimlessly in search of the speaker. This voice sounds different than the one I heard last night…_

"_I'm right here."_

_I whip my head to my right and nearly smash my nose into a figure standing very close to me. Whoever this person is, he appears to be pretty tall;__ my face must be level with his ribcage_—_h__is _protruding_ ribcage, I amend mentally_—_over which a thick metal zipper snakes up his middle. _

"_Up here, short stuff."_

_Slowly, my eyes trail up the zipper to his collarbone. The back of my head starts to press into the base of my neck and right when I'm about to find his face, my eyes halt. _

_He has red hair. Wild, all-over-the-place red hair. I've never seen hair so _crimson _before...  
_

"_You've still got a few more inches to go."_

_I snap out of my daze, finally meeting his eyes. Bright, acid green eyes with a dark triangular tattoo under each. His smirk looks as if it could slice thin air. "If you think _I _look strange, you haven't seen anything yet," he purrs.  
_

_Stumbling over my feet, I manage to back away far enough to look at him fully. Everything about this man appears angular_—_his hips, his arms, his shoulders, his cheekbones, his spiky hair, his _smirk_..._

_A nagging sensation picks at the back of my head. He seems familiar somehow..._

"_I'm not gonna bite." He holds up his hands in mock-surrender. "I'm on _your_ side. Really."_

_The only thing smooth about him is his voice...but not by much. The edge underlying the placating tones makes my ears itch_—

_A sucking noise cuts short my thoughts. Instantly my muscles go rigid and my eyes widen. _

"_Ah, jeez," the redhead moans dramatically, bringing a hand up to cradle the side of his head. "I was hoping I could have more time to talk with you."_

_His voice barely travels over the vortex-like racket. The first of the yellow orbs appear somewhere behind him, causing me to flinch and shut my eyes for a moment.  
_

_But why isn't the man panicking?  
_

"_They're pretty persistent__ even after the Superior was finished off.__" he comments casually, watching the yellow increase in number as if he's looking around at a flower garden with mild interest. "Huh."  
_

_I fix my eyes on him in disbelief, my jaw hanging. All he can say is "huh?" What is he talking about? _Who_ is he talking about?__  
_

_The man does a double-take at my stare. _"_You know," he slowly says, quirking an eyebrow at me like _I've _gone a little loopy. "Xemnas."_

_...__Xemnas?_

_I repeat the word (the name?) in my head over and over...and I freeze. _Everything _freezes. My heart stops pounding. The sweat slipping down my back screeches to a halt. The vortex noise suddenly cuts off. The yellow orbs pause mid-apparition. _

_But my head...My head buzzes with activity...I feel movement of all sorts_—_shifting and pushing and tugging and hammering and pounding and BAM BAM BAM BAM_ RELEASE PLEASE RELEASE I HAVE TO REMEMB—

"_Hey." The man (he's not frozen?) waves a gloved hand in front of my face. "Hello? Anybody in there?"_

_In an instant my heart jumps to life, the beads of moisture ride my spine, the noise floods my ears, the orbs burst forth faster than ever, and whatever was happening in my head __ceases. I stare dumbfounded at the man in front of me. __What just happened?_

"_You know," the man places his hands on his hips, "you're gonna have to fight all these Heartless. Shouldn't you…you know…get ready?"_

_I can only blink. Get ready?_

_He frowns, arching a thin eyebrow at me and glancing away uncertainly. "Well, this is awkward..."_

_When I glance away and find the yellow orbs_—_the _claws_, the _teeth—_creeping closer__, I let out a yelp, jumping away and crossing one leg over the other. Oh, no...  
_

_From the corner of my eye I see the man's chest inflate slowly before he utters, "I gotta run." _

_I nearly lose my balance as I snap up my head and stare at him incredulously. He's _leaving?_  
_

"_I'll be back," he reassures as his body becomes enveloped in a dark aura, a grin on his narrow face. "You know I will!" _

_With the wisps of the strange aura he disappears completely, abandoning me in the middle of the sea of yellow orbs. How I wish I could just disappear like that.  
_

"_Imani!"_

_I flinch. That voice is back...  
_

"_Imani! Fight!"_

_Something cold and velvety slides across my calves firmly. With a scream I jump away from the touch and start hopping from one foot to the other because maybe they'll scatter away if I stomp on them please go away _please_ go _away —

"FIGHT,_ Imani!"_

_Shaky sobs rack my lungs. Icy feathery touches brush my ankles, climbing higher and higher despite my jumping. Fight with _what?

"_Call it with your heart!"_

_Help me! Please! _Help me!

"_You have to trust your heart! You can do it, Imani!"_

"Imani!"

* * *

My eyes fly open. Heavy sobs pour from my mouth as I try catch my breath. A pair of strong arms rocks me back and forth.

"Shh, it's okay," Aden whispers. "You're okay, Imani."

I bury my face into his neck, relief washing over me when I realize I've woken up. "A-Aden…"

"Shh. Just let it all out."

We sit together on my bed with nothing but the sound of my breathless sobs filling the room. Breathing in Aden's scent and listening to his heart beat peacefully, I can feel my own heart calming down and my fears seeping away.

"What time is it?" I murmur after long moments of quiet.

"Two A.M.," his voice rumbles softly in his chest.

I swallow thickly, reaching up to grip his arms as if they are a life vest keeping me afloat.

"You wanna talk about it?"

My hair rustles against his shoulder as I shake my head furiously.

"You sure?"

"It was just a dream," I whisper. "It's nothing."

"It's _something _if it's bothering you this much."

I swallow again, gathering up whatever courage I have left in me to recount the nightmare. "There was a man this time," I croak.

He shifts a little. "A man?"

"He said some strange things." I move my head away to look him in the eye. "He called those things that were attacking me 'Heartless,' and he mentioned someone named—"

_Xemnas._

The name launches my mind into overdrive again. My head throbs and shifts and moves and buzzes and RELEASE BAM BAM BAM RELEASE PLEASE RELEASE SOMETHING IS WRONG BAM BAM I HAVE TO—

"Imani?" Aden murmurs. "You okay?"

As quickly as it started, the activity halts, leaving my head in a sluggish daze. I sigh. What's happening?

"Imani?"

"I-I'm fine," I stutter, quickly giving him a reassuring smile. "Just thinking."

He eyes me suspiciously for a second. "So who did this guy mention?" he prompts.

Hesitating, I try to mold my mouth to form that strange name. "X-Xemnas."

"Who's that?"

"I…I don't know…" I bite my tongue as I skip around in my memories, refraining as best I can from shivering. "The voice that was calling my name and telling me to fight said something more. He said, 'Call it with your heart.'"

"Call _what _with your heart?"

I frown. "I don't know."

"Hm." His arms wrap around me even tighter.

"I still didn't see who it was," I sigh, "but I feel like I've heard that voice somewhere before…"

"What do you mean?"

"Like…Like I know who it belongs to. And I feel like I know who the red-headed man is and who this 'Xemnas' is…"

"Right. Okay."

I roll my eyes, elbowing him softly. "I'm being serious."

"I didn't say you weren't."

A few moments of silence slips between us. Against my will my eyelids begin to droop...

"You planning to go back to sleep?" he asks.

In a snap my eyes open completely. My heart skips a beat and I lean into him further. "I-I don't know..."

"It's too early to get ready for the day. Let's get some sleep" He doesn't give me a chance to reply. He slides under the covers, pulling me down with him.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **I'm sure my description of the "stranger" was enough to go on. :) Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!


	4. Unleashed

**EDITED 6/17/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Hope you enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_This is just a dream, I chant in my head as I ball my hands into fists. This is just a dream. I _refuse_ to believe otherwise..._

_The more I repeat Aden's words, though, the stickier this weight in my stomach grows and the harder my heart pounds in my chest.  
_

_"__That was quick."_

_Spinning on the balls of my feet, I turn to the voice to find the redheaded man leaning on one leg with his arms crossed lazily. _"_I didn't think you'd be back until tomorrow night." He tilts his head and smirks playfully. "Miss me?"_

_This is just a dream. This isn't real. _He_ isn't real...even though I feel like I've seen him somewhere before. My mind is just playing tricks on me. I've never met him before. He's not real.__  
_

_The deep breath I take before replying doesn't smooth out the nervous stutter in my voice. "N-No. I don't even know who you are."_

_A corner of his smirk falls slightly. "You're wrong," he says determinedly. "You know who I am."_

_The light nagging at the back of my head_—_almost like fingernails plucking strings_—_picks up speed__ as I gape at him. How can I know who he is? He's not real. This is just a dream.  
_

_"__Think." He taps a finger to his temple. "I know you've got it memorized."_

_My heart stops. __Instantly the finger-plucking escalates into shifting and shoving and pushing and pulling and _BAM BAM PLEASE—

_"__Do you remember now?" the man's voice weaves through smoothly._

—HAVE TO BAM BAM _drilling and hammering and pounding and screaming_ BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM RELEASE RELEASE PLEASE—

_"Do you remember who I am?"_

—BAMBAMBAMBAMIHAVETOREMEMBERI**HAVE**TOREMEMBER—

_His warm breath puffs gently near my ear. __"__Do you remember, _Maxiin?_"_

**BAM!**

_Something _breaks _and__ images flood before my eyes rapidly_—_people in dark cloaks a white castle hovering above a dark rainy city a town veiled in the deep orange hues of twilight a green-skinned witch and a big mean-looking crony hideous beasts with those yellow orbs for eyes_—

What...

—_a blonde girl in a white dress with a sketchbook a purplish-red-haired girl gazing into the sunset from where she stands on the beach_ _are they the same girl why do their faces look so similar_—

What's going on?

—_a boy with silver hair and jade eyes extending his hand invitingly_ _wait no a blindfold no a dark man with amber eyes and a gargoyle hovering around him_—

Who are these people?

—_a duck waving around a wand a tall lanky dog crouching behind a shield a mouse swinging a giant key like a sword_—

Why am I seeing all of this?

—_blond spikes brunet spikes blue eyes keys smiles_—

What's happening?

—_a huge heart-shaped moon_—

"Hey!"

_Abruptly the images cease and that sluggishness drags down my mind. Green eyes stare intently and a warm hand shakes my shoulder. "You okay?" the man asks. _

_An image_—_a scene? A memory? What are these pictures?_—_plays in my head. _"A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

_"__Axel?" I try hesitantly, the word leaving a strange aftertaste in my mouth._

_A few moments pass before his eyes light up and a huge smile breaks out across his face. "Hey! You _do_ remember! I told you so!" His hand leaves my shoulders and he straightens up. "Though you took longer than Roxas did…"_

_My jaw hangs open and my brow furrows. Tilting my head doesn't do anything to make the pieces_—_the ones this man dumped on me_—_fall in place. How did I guess correctly? Isn't this one of the first times I've met him? _

_"__I know yeah?" Axel laughs, mistaking the reason behind my stunned expression. "I guess it wasn't his fault he was so clueless."_

_I only remember _now_ that I can talk__, but once my tongue starts going, I can't help babbling. "I don't understand," I murmur. "What just happened? Who are you? How do I know you? I've never seen you before. I _know _I haven't. Why'd you call me Ma-Maxiin? That's not my name. What_—_"_

_"__Okay, stop." He holds up both gloved hands, waving them slightly. "Too many questions. Too many _unnecessary_ questions.__ You know all the answers already."_

_I blink repeatedly. This man has done nothing but shock me with every word that comes from his mouth. __"I-I what?"  
_

_Before he can answer, the man's_—Axel's—_smirk falls completely off his face. Those green eyes darken ominously. "They're here."_

Vortex sucking_. A pang of panic arrests my body but my heart drums swiftly. I can't believe I forgot I was here._

_"__I'd stay and help, but then I'd get busted." Axel shrugs with a not-so-reluctant smile, backing away slowly._

_"__What?" I squeak. "Where're you going?"  
_

_His red spikes sway as he shakes his head. "Sorry, kid," he mouths over the growing noise.  
_

_"__No!" Stiffly I drag my feet to follow after him. "I don't know what to do!"_

_He barks out a laugh so sharp it cuts the din cleanly and scrapes my ears. "C'mon, Maxiin. You could beat these things in your sleep."_

_"Don't leave!" I plead, cursing the invisible cement blocks that seemed to have encased my feet.  
_

_"Oh, wait," he pauses, tapping his chin with one finger. "You_ are_ beating them in your sleep. Ha, that's funny."__ He smirks and snorts to himself. "I crack myself up sometimes."_

_How can he be so calm at a time like this? "Please! Help me!"  
_

_His eyes gleam as he instructs plainly. "__Fight. F-I-G-H-T. Got it memorized?"_

_Dark miasma flares up from the ground beneath him, swallowing him whole. Before I can scream for him, he's gone. Completely gone. _

_I scream anyway.  
_

_"__AXEL, YOU JERK!" My vocal chords burn and I bend over slightly, hurling the words over the clamoring sucking vortex. "J-E-R-K! GET _THAT_ MEMORIZED!" _

_As __I huff to catch my breath, realization dawns on me. I just called that man a jerk. I called a man I'd only met minutes ago a _jerk._  
_

_I'm going crazy. That has to be it.  
_

_I find that I can't dwell on the thought too much when my eyes start to sear from the intense yellow pooling around me. The footsteps of the Things stomp faintly above the noise, overriding my rapidly beating heart and my own labored breathing. Sweat cascades down my back as I curl into myself, squeezing my arms and my legs into myself and ducking my head_—

_"__Imani!"_

_I freeze. _

_"__Imani! Fight!"_

_I squeeze my eyes shut against the warmth gathering. This is just a dream. I'll wake up soon. I always wake up around this part. Aden will come and shake me awake_—

_Ice-cold touches lick my ankles, rubbing and crawling up my leg_s.

_"_FIGHT,_ Imani!"_

_Sharp claws dig into my skin as they climb further onto my back. "Help!" I finally scream. "Please! Help me!"  
_

_"__Call it with your heart!"_

_I want to wake up. I don't want to be here. This is just a dream!_

_The talons scrape and cut. I cry out in pain, a tear sneaking out past my eyelid. "Help!" I gasp out between sobs._

_"__You have to trust your heart. You can do it, Imani!"_

_Why can't I wake up? Somebody wake me up!  
_

_"__IMANI! DO IT!"_

_My eyes fly open, my tears weighing lightly on my eyelashes. The blurs of yellow consume my vision. _

_"TRUST YOUR HEART! FOCUS AND CALL IT WITH YOUR HEART!"_

_Heaving and gritting my teeth, I do my best to shut out the pain and follow his urgent instructions. __If I won't wake up, then there's nothing more I can do than do what he says._

_Come please come please come help please come, I repeat like a mantra in my head, grasping the fabric covering my heart until my fingernails dig into my palms. Come come I need you help me please come help me whatever you are help help help help_—

_Claws hack away at my back, digging into me deeper and deeper. A strangled cry ruptures my throat.  
_

_"__Imani! You're almost there! Keep focusing!"_

_But it _hurts—

_"__You can do it, Imani!"_

_With a shaky inhale I squeeze my eyes shut once more and hunch over, repeating over and over again the desperate mantra help help help come please I really need you to come help please_—

_"__Call it with your heart!"_

—_helpplease_pleasecomehelpmeIneedyou!_  
_

_A surge of warmth leaks out somewhere in my core, running through every vein and bleeding out from me. The panic freezing my limbs melts away upon contact. My throbbing heart feels lighter. My muscles tingle as it builds upon itself greater and greater like pent-up energy I just _have_ to release_—

_With a yell, I lash out, swinging my arms and spinning on the balls of my feet. Suddenly the claws vanish and the vortex sucking lapses into silence.  
_

_"Yes__! You did it, Imani!"_

_Prying my eyes open, I tentatively glance around the yellow sea. No icy touches crowd my ankles. The pain in my back, though still evident, feels nowhere nearly as intense as it did before._

_...What happened?  
_

_"__You called the keyblade!"_

_A glint catches my eye...and my breath when I see what it is my hand is grasping so tightly: a giant _key_. Its long metal body glows in the light given off from the yellow orbs and the charm dangling from the handle seems to _smile_ at me. _

_"__Now fight, Imani!"_

_Before I know it, my lips curl into a smile of my own (albeit uncertain and totally lost). A strange calm slowly takes over my heart and settles the fluttering in my stomach...Confidence?_

_Deciding not to question it, I grip the hilt, breathe in deeply_—_it's easier to breathe now, too_, _I marvel_—_and let go, charging forth. My arms swing left and right, up and down, twirling and slashing and slicing with dexterity I never knew I was capable of. With half-wide eyes I watch as my surroundings spin and blur before me. I bend and leap and twist, cutting at the yellow orbs._

_In moments the last of the orbs dissipate into thin air, leaving me alone in the dark with my jaw hanging open again and my eyes wide in silent shock so great I can't complete my thoughts without trailing off in awe.  
_

_"__Yeah!" I can picture the owner of the voice jumping up and down, punching his fist into the air. "Woo hoo! You beat them!"  
_

_His cheeriness is contagious. I smile, hoping the voice can see me and gazing down at the key in my hand in wonder. This has to have been the weirdest dream I've ever had..._

_But I'm so glad it's over.  
_

"_You did it, Imani..."

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **Can you guess who the voice is? You'll find out for sure if you keep reading! Guaranteed!

Please leave a review! Thank you for reading!


	5. Sora

**EDITED 6/17/2010**

**Author's Comments:** Just in case you were wondering, "Maxiin" is pronounced "Max-een." Hope you enjoy this revised chapter!

Also, I must include a **huge spoiler warning** for Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani.

* * *

The first thought I have when the darkness of my dream sinks away is this: _I can't wait to tell Aden what happened._

Steadily my senses awaken to my surroundings: the morning sunlight behind my eyelids, the pair of warm arms wrapped around me, the light quilt swathing my body, the aroma of pancakes mixed in with the faint scent of saltwater, the bustle of pots and pans from the kitchen, the laughter of children lilting in with the breeze from the open window, the strands of long hair resting on my face and tickling my neck—

Wait a minute. Wait. A. Minute.

My eyebrows inch together. _Pancakes?_ As sad as it is, no one in our family knows how to cook pancakes. (Waffles is another story, but I digress.) _Saltwater?_ We live in the middle of a city, nowhere near any body of saltwater. _The breeze from the open window?_ The city's too dangerous for me to leave my window open at night.

_Strands of long hair on my face and neck?_ Don't even get me started.

The only way I can clear up this confusion, I deduce, is if I open my eyes. Swallowing nervously, I pry open my eyes...and my heart stops.

Before me is a window—an _open_ window—through which a patch of bluer-than-blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds peeks down at me from behind the low rooftops of the quaint houses lining the dirt road. Children run around in the square of green grass in front of the house directly across from the one I'm in.

The one in which I have no idea I ended up in the first place.

A small television sits near the foot of the bed on a shelf of sorts. Game consoles and wires mesh together in one corner while clothes lie in heaps next to a dresser in another corner. Something shimmers in the corner of my eye, drawing my attention immediately.

Silver hair. _Silver. Long. _Hair.

I stifle a squeak as the lightly toned arms around me shift and a sigh blows against the back of my head. I think I'd rather be in that dark-filled dream than here...

"Riku!" My stomach jumps at the sound of a woman's muffled voice coming from the other side of the closed door. "Time to get up!"

A lazy groan, a shifting in the bed, and a mumbled "Five more minutes" is all the owner of the arms gives in response.

Until he stiffens and his relaxed breathing against my head ceases.

Yes. I'd take the nightmare over this _any _day.

"Riku! Don't make me come in there."

He tenses up, his arms pulling me closer to him as he hisses dangerously in my ear, "Who. The hell. Are _you?_"

"Riku!" The woman raps on the door before I can whimper an answer. "You'd better hurry before breakfast gets cold!"

He turns away from me, calling over his shoulder, "I'm up, Mom. I'll be out in five minutes."

"Alright," she drags out, clearly unconvinced. "I'll be counting."

When the footsteps away from the door fade out, he immediately releases me. I scurry out, backing up against the wall with the false hope of sinking through it and disappearing from underneath his heated glare. He stands on the other side of the bed with his arms crossed and his jade green eyes narrowed under his silvery bangs. "Who are you?" he asks again.

"I-I..." I stutter, shaking my head helplessly. "I'm so sorry...I don't know how I got here..."

He keeps glaring at me, peering closely as if searching for a good reason to throttle me on the spot. "I didn't ask for an apology," he finally sighs, "but I'll take it. Just tell me who you are."

Swallowing down my nerves (and failing), I answer shakily, "I-Imani."

"Imani..." His eyebrows furrow as he lets my name trail off. "I've never seen or heard of you before. Did you just move here?"

"N-No!" I shake my head furiously. "I-I don't live here. I live in a city. I've..." My eyes dart to the blindingly blue sky just out the window. "I've never been here before."

The moment the words leave my mouth, I almost gag at a bitter taste coating my tongue...the bitter taste of a _lie._

_But I'm not lying. I _know _I'm not lying.  
_

"Care to explain why you were in my _bed,_ then?" He tiredly runs a hand through his long tresses.

"I would if I could, but I can't!" My hands reach up to tangle my fingers in my hair and yank in frustration. "I don't know how I got here!"

The boy—Riku—mutters under his breath as he stomps around the bed, grabs my wrist, and pulls me to the window. "Next time I'm keeping my window closed...Girls are getting desperate..."

_How did this happen? _I ask myself hopelessly, letting him drag me. _What do I do? How did I get here? How do I get home? Should I ask this guy for directions? He probably wouldn't give any to me considering_—

My mind goes blank as I catch Riku studying me, the wrinkles between his eyebrows etched in deep and his mouth curved into a frown.

"W-What?" I peep, unable to handle the way his stare is making nerves start to get jumpy.

"What did you say your name was again?" he asks, leaving out the harsh edges from his words.

"I..." With an embarrassed "ack" I drop the hand still tangled in my hair, clearing my throat before saying, "Imani."

"Imani," he repeats, his eyes lowering and his voice growing soft. "Imani...Imani...Where have I heard that name before...?"

My nerves begin to settle down as I watch the fierce gleam in his eyes vanish. The tension in my shoulders vanishes, too, and I ask tentatively, "Do you know who I am, too?"

He halts mid-thought, flicking his eyes up to me again and arching an eyebrow. "Too?"

Groaning inwardly—I just _know_ he's going to think I'm crazy—I begin to prattle, "W-Well, the thing is I've been having these strange dreams with people who seem to know who I am but I've never seen them before in my life like this one tall guy with red hair and tattoos under his eyes—"

"Axel?"

My tongue stumbles over the rest of my thought. "Y-Yeah." I nod. "You know him?"

"Y...Yeah..." He nods slowly, eyeing me peculiarly.

"But I think he mistook me for someone else," I quickly amend, hoping he doesn't think I'm _too_ crazy. "He called me M...Mmm..."

Hesitation or some other ill-omened fear glues together my lips. A greater part of me doesn't want to say the word that caused the flood of pictures and the sensory overload. Saying the word aloud seems to stains my conscience.

"Called you what?" he prompts, those eyes flitting to my pursed lips.

"Mmmm..."

Oh, this is too much. What's the worst that could happen if I say it aloud?

With a deep breath, I spit out the name: "Maxiin."

My heart skips a beat as his grip on my wrist tightens and his eyes sharpen. "Maxiin?" he exclaims. "He called you Maxiin?"

"Why? What? Is something wrong with that?" I cry, jumping at his weird reaction.

"Imani...Maxiin..." He bows his head, pinching his nose as he mutters the names over again. "Imani...Maxiin..."

"Riku! Breakfast!"

We flinch at his mother's voice. "C-Coming!" Riku calls, his eyes alight with determination. His hand releases my sore wrist and he pushes me to the window. "Climb out here and meet me at the front door," he instructs me. "My parents are probably in the kitchen, so you'll have to bend down when you pass the windows."

My eyes widen. "W-What?"

"Just do it. I'll be out in a few minutes." With that he leaves my side to rummage around in his mountain of clothes.

I sigh in defeat, turning to face the neighborhood and bracing my arms against the windowsill. _I can't come up with a better plan_, I admit, clambering onto the sill and sliding through to the outside. My ankles twist and bend at awkward angles and my bare toes scuff the grass as I duck-waddle under the low windows around the house to what I hoped was the front door.

When I reach the door, I stand up with a wince at the pain shooting through my thighs and my feet. The door swings open and Riku steps out a moment later, dressed in new clothes and holding a few pancakes. "Want one?" he asks through a mouthful, extending his hand.

The aching growl in my stomach answers for me. "Thanks," I mumble, picking out a pancake and following him as he starts off down the main road.

"We're gonna go see some friends of mine," he tells me between bites.

"Where?" I take a bite, savoring the sweet cake texture melting in my mouth with closed eyes.

"One of the other islands. It's kind of our meeting place."

Neither of us say a word on our way to this "meeting place." I try to ignore the pain in my dusty bare feet by taking in the quiet town as we pass through it. It's strange how familiar the short buildings and the sand-rimmed islands and the sparkling ocean seem, and stranger still is how my eyes light up when I see the overhanging tree with the trunk that stretches almost parallel to the ground and the thatched tree house sitting nearby.

_Impossible, _I keep telling myself. _None of this is supposed to ring any bells. I've never been here before_.

"Looks like she beat us," Riku chuckles as we get closer.

Following his gaze, I find a girl with long reddish-purple hair waving at us with a huge smile on her face. The fingernails itching at the back of my head return stronger than ever as I see her blue eyes and hear her cheery voice. "Hey, Riku!"

Riku waves back and the two of us come to a stop next to her in the shifty sand. "You got here quick."

"I live the closest to here, silly," the girl laughs, placing her hands on her pink-clad hips.

_"You know," a young girl confesses, her hands clasping her knees in front of her as she and a boy watch the sunset, "I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here."*_

"This is Imani," Riku tells the girl, waving a hand to me. "She's, uh...new in town."_  
_

_"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."*_

The girl offers me a bright smile and extends her hand.

_She shoves a star-shaped charm into the boy's hand. "It's my lucky charm," she says. "Be sure to bring it back to me."*_

"Hi there," the girl says. "I'm—"

"Kairi."

The name slips out past my lips as effortlessly as my breath does. If only I could understand _how_ I came up with the name with such certainty as easily...or why my heart suddenly feels heavy...

She gasps softly, her hand falling to her side. "You know my name!" she exclaims. "How...?"

"Riku! Kairi!"

My ears perk at the shout and my eyes widen.

_"__Imani! Fight!"_

Sand flies up as I whirl around. A tanned boy with brown spiky hair and a cheeky grin dashes up to us, skidding to a halt and slapping his palms to his knees as he huffs to catch his breath.

"You're late," Riku points out with mock-seriousness.

"I live...the farthest...from here!" the boy protests between breaths but that smile never wavers.

_"I don't need a weapon! My friends are my power!"*_

"S...So..." he finally stands up straight, glancing at Riku and Kairi, "what's up?"

_"Remember what you said before?" a young boy with spiky hair asks, holding on to her hand for dear life as the space between them grows wider. "I'm always with you, too. I'll come back to you! I promise!"*_

Goosebumps spring up all over my skin and a shiver runs down my spine._  
_

_A girl in white brushes the excess crayon shavings from her drawing, gazing down at it in satisfaction. "S_—_"_

My lungs contract and my throat closes up painfully_, _forcing me to breathe in gasps._  
_

_Three figures in black cloaks_—_a short-haired girl, a blond boy, Axel_—_watch the sun set from their vantage point atop a ringing clock tower overlooking the city, biting their bars of cold blue sweetness. "So_—_"_

The steady drumbeat in my chest picks up pace._  
_

_A blond boy and an older, dark-haired man share a small smile before turning to watch a shooting star soar above them_—

Warmth pools behind my eyes and quickly seeps out to blur the colors.

_A woman sitting on a moonlit beach sheds a tear not out of sadness but with renewed hope_—

Through the tears, I see his spiky head turn to face me.

_"There are still sad people...and everyone's waiting." He looks to Kairi, his eyes glowing with purpose. "I have to put back everything that's connected to me."*_

"Sora," I whisper brokenly. "So...Sora..."

The distant crashing waves and my sobs crack the silence for what seems like minutes. Letting my eyes fall to the sandy ground, I clap a hand to my mouth, screaming at myself to _stop crying you're making everyone uncomfortable why am I crying stop _crying_ please_—

"You made it, Imani." A hand rests gently on my shoulder. "You _made _it."

My other hand joins the first, covering my face as tears spill endlessly. Why am I crying? What are these images playing in my head? How do I know these names? Why do I feel so _overjoyed?_

"W-What's wrong?" A slim arm wraps around my shoulders. "What's going on?"

"I think we found a missing piece," Riku's voice rumbles, "a piece none of us knew existed."

"A missing piece?" Kairi repeats as her hand rubs my shoulder soothingly. "Really?"

Slowly my tears stop falling and my breathing evens out, bringing sweet relief to my lungs and slight soreness in my eyes. I wipe away the tears on my face and sniffle. "W-What's the missing piece?" I croak, lifting my head to look at Riku imploringly.

He smirks, crossing his arms. "You."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Okie-dokes. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of these revised chapters!


	6. Sand

**EDITED 6/17/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Here's the re-edited chapter 6. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Kairi brings her legs up to fold them underneath her Indian-style. "Let me get this straight," she begins. "For the past week you've been dreaming of yellow orbs that attack you and only yesterday you fought back and defeated them all thanks to Sora's coaching."

I nod, my chin rubbing against my arms pulling my legs up to my chest.

She nods, turning her attention briefly to Sora. "And that's how you know who she is, right?"

His spikes bob back and forth with his nod. "Yup."

"Okay." She turns her eyes back to me. "On top of that, you met Axel who called you 'Maxiin' and caused something in your head to snap and you started seeing places and people you'd never seen before, including us."

I nod again, though the way she describes it so nonchalantly kind of doesn't sit well with me.

"Then, when you woke up this morning, you found you were lying in Riku's bed instead of your own."

I nod slowly, ducking my head down between my hunched shoulders. I'd rather not remember that part.

Kairi laughs melodiously, throwing her head back. "There's nothing to be ashamed about! You couldn't help where you ended up. Waking up in Riku's bed isn't as bad as waking up...I don't know...in the middle of the ocean, maybe?"

"Or in _Sora's_ bed," Riku puts in, shooting a smirk at the boy. "His room _stinks_."

Sora's pink tongue darts past his lips as he blows a raspberry at the silver-haired boy.

"Don't dwell on it too much, 'kay?" She smiles reassuringly before turning to the boys. "Anything to add, guys?"

"Yeah!" Sora's hand shoots up like an eager student. "One, my room _doesn't _stink." He glares pointedly at Riku who rolls his eyes. "Two, I didn't see Axel in my dreams. Three, Imani probably didn't see me because I was looking down at her—" he fans his hands out to either side of him, "—like a bird. Every time the Heartless would appear, she'd just stand in place. Since I couldn't go down there and fight them off, I tried telling Imani to fight them."

"Axel always appeared before the yellow orbs did. Maybe you two just missed each other...but still, how did you know my name?" I ask, tilting my head and furrowing my brow.

His response lags behind his movement as he leaves his mouth hanging for a moment in hesitation before actually saying anything. "I…I didn't know your name. I just yelled whatever came to my head at the moment."

"Oh brother," Riku mutters with a shake of his head.

Sora's elbow zooms out to collide with Riku's ribcage, earning a grunt and sending Riku tumbling to his side, caressing the spot in pain. "You seemed to respond, so I figured I called the right name," the brunet shrugs indifferently.

"But then why did you tell her to call the keyblade?" Riku points out between moans. "And how was she able to use it so effectively if _we're_ supposed to be the only ones who could use it?"

"I…" he trails off, his lips frowning and his smooth forehead wrinkling in thought.

"You were just shouting off the top of your head again?" Riku deadpans.

"N-No!" Sora insists, raking a hand through his spikes. "I just…I just felt like that's what I was supposed to do."

"Well...it worked," I offer with a slight shrug. "Thanks."

A comfortable silence fills the space after my words, leaving me to trace the light pinstripes of my pajamas with my eyes. The grainy sand between my toes soothes my nerves slightly, but the stickiness in the pit of my stomach churns uneasily. How can these people take my explanation so well? _I'm_ the one who gave the explanation and _I _think it's far-fetched.

"So..." Kairi's voice starts again, "who's Maxiin? Is that your Nobody?"

I tear my eyes from my pajamas and arch an eyebrow at Kairi. "N...'Nobody?' What's that?"

"Like Roxas," Sora offers, pointing a finger to himself. "He's my Nobody."

"Or Namine," Kairi provides. "They're our other halves."

They both have Nobodies? Does everyone have one?

"I don't really have a Nobody," Riku answers my unspoken question when I turn to him. "Xehanort doesn't really count."

Fingernails itch the back of my head again as the names echo in my head, tolling like bells in an empty courtyard: Roxas. Namine. Xehanort. No matter how much I repeat the names, though, I can't quite sooth the itch.

I shut my eyes, digging around mentally for pictures or voices. "They sound really familiar, and I have the feeling I've seen them before..."

"That's strange, isn't it?" Kairi says. "If Maxiin is Imani's Nobody and Axel called Imani 'Maxiin,' then does that mean you're a Nobody yourself?"

"Uh..." I can only shrug. "I don't know."

"Gah, my head's starting to hurt," Sora complains, reaching up to ruffle his hair once more. "Maybe we can ask someone about this."

"Like Master Yen Sid?"

The name flies out of my mouth before I have a chance to think about it, drawing three pairs of eyes to me magnetically and forcing me to swallow a frustrated groan. I don't know who "Master Yen Sid" is. He could be a senile bedridden man who just likes to hear himself talk, for all I know.

"Or no?" I shrug helplessly. "I-I just thought...since you've been to him before...maybe?"

Instead of pressing questions, they _smile_ and I suddenly wonder if my shock now could possibly be greater than theirs. "Good idea," Sora says with a nod, leaping to his feet and dusting his pants off. "Let's go see Master Yen Sid."

Riku and Kairi also stand, brushing the sand from their clothes. "How?" Riku asks as I scramble to my feet.

"I could try opening a door with the keyblade," Sora proposes.

Kairi reels back slightly. "Wait, but doesn't Imani have the keyblade now?"

"But that was only in the dreams," I correct, wiggling my toes into the sand. "I kind of doubt I'd be able to use it now that I'm awake..."

"Only one way to find out." Placing his hands on his hips, Riku faces Sora expectantly. "Try summoning it."

Sora whips out a giant key from thin air with an effortless swing of his arm. I watch as the sparkles descend and disappear in moments. That answers the question...kind of.

"I'm lost," Kairi sighs.

"Me too," I agree with a frown. "But then again, I didn't have Oathkeeper when I was fighting the Heartless."

Once again, they all turn to me and gape. "You've seen Oathkeeper before?" Sora asks, holding up his keyblade.

"Um...no?" I sigh, reaching up to tug on a strand of my short dark hair. These random bursts of knowledge are starting to get on my nerves. "I just..._guessed_...kind of."

"Let's just ask Master Yen Sid what's going on," Riku suggests. "I have a hunch, but we've all got too many questions that need answers."

"You have a hunch? Tell us!" Sora insists.

He shakes his head. "I don't know if I'm right or not, so we should probably go to Master Yen Sid first."

With a shrug and a "whatever you say," Sora swings his out keyblade, sending a stream of white light shooting from the tip. A big intricately-carved door frame materializes amidst sparkles and flashes. "Let's go!" Sora shouts, dashing in with Riku and Kairi hot on his heels.

To be honest, I half-expect to step into more sand when I run through the doorway to the other side; nothing but blinding white light can be seen from this side. Gulping down my nerves, I count to three and sprint through with my eyes closed.

A tingling sensation writhes in my chest when I pass the frame. Chilly air blasts my face and I almost slip on the fragrant damp grass. The moment both my feet hit the ground, the sound of glass shattering into thousands of tiny pieces behind me hits my ears.

"Come on, Imani!"

Cautiously I open my eyes. A tall, strangely-shaped tower looms before me, the middle section slanting at an angle before the uppermost part reaches for the stars crookedly. The three older teens stand at the double-doors, waiting for me.

"Let's go," Kairi says, nodding her head towards the tower as Riku pushes a door open.

I lick my lips and hurry to join them.

Directly through the doors leads us to a foyer with a spiraling staircase. "I hate stairs," Sora complains, but begins to drag his feet up anyway.

"You're just lazy," Riku teases with a smirk.

"Am not!" Sora retorts, tearing up the stairs with new zeal. "Race you to the top!"

The boys leave Kairi and me behind to walk up at our own pace. Kairi shakes her head, and I can't hold back the small smile curving my lips. Typical competitiveness between them.

...Not that I would know anything about that...right?

My lips sink into a deep frown. The stickiness in my stomach is still here, so maybe I'm still dreaming. Any minute now, Aden will wake me up and we'll head downstairs to stuff our faces with waffles and laugh about the _bizarre _dream I had—

"Imani? Are you okay?"

Kairi's voice startles me and I almost trip on the next stair. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine." I tug my cheeks up in a tight smile. "I'm just...confused."

Her shoulder-length hair sways with her nod. "We all are. Hopefully Master Yen Sid can give us some answers."

I can only nod and hum along with her. Hopefully...

"It'll be alright," she tells me with an encouraging smile as she grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze.

_A blonde girl in a white dress grabs my hand. "It'll be alright, Maxiin."_

My feet turn to stone mid-step and my breath seeps from my lungs. "Namine?"

"W-What?"

I blink, doing a double-take at Kairi's wide blue eyes and pale face. "I...Did I just call you..." I stammer, my face heating up and my palms becoming sweaty. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't..."

Her lips curl into a wistful smile. "You saw her, didn't you? Namine."

That smile twists my heart, forcing me to drop my eyes to the ground. "I...I think so," I murmur thickly.

"Hey, don't get down on yourself. It's fine."

I nod again, but I can't meet her eyes. Suddenly my eyes begin to water and warm up and my nose won't stop sniffling. A weight sits on my chest, right above my heart. My movements feel much more sluggish. I can't understand _why_ I feel like I'm about to cry...

"What took you two so long?"

With a final closing of my eyes (_go away, tears, go away_) I look up to find Sora and Riku waiting for us in front of a door. "Let's go inside," Riku says. "Master Yen Sid should be in here."

Sora pushes the big door open with one hand and strides in confidently with Riku and Kairi. "Master Yen Sid!" The three of them bow low to the man sitting at the desk in the middle of the room.

"Sora, Riku, and Kairi," the man's deep voice rumbles as he nods to everyone respectively. "Welcome."

My feet turn to stone again along with the rest of my body as I stare at Master Yen Sid over the bent bodies of the older teens. A pointed hat sits atop his head and his elbows rest on the arms of his tall-backed chair. His eyes leer over his intertwined fingers at each teen.

When those eyes land on me the split-second before they straighten up, my heart sinks to my icky churning stomach and my knees buckle.

"Long time no see," Sora says cheerily as he bounces upright. "How's it been?"

Instead of answering his question, Master Yen Sid asks, "Are we missing someone?"

The sudden urge to run back down all those flights of stairs, burst out the door, and dive into the shrubs seizes me, but my feet won't budge.

"Come on in, Imani!" Sora waves, stepping to the side. "Don't be shy!"

I flinch under the glare of the seated man. Why do I feel like I did something wrong?

_"__You must stay here!" A flash of light._

_"_Make _me."_

"Imani! Don't make me drag you in here."

Taking a deep breath and swallowing audibly, I tip-toe into the room, the stares of every person—especially Master Yen Sid's—burning my skin. I wring my hands and my eyes fall to the floor almost magnetically, willing it to open up and swallow me whole.

Aden, where are you? Why won't you wake me up?

"Well?"

I flinch again, my arms convulsing more violently than before. His voice reminds me of far-off thunder portentously announcing the arrival of an angry storm.

"You have a voice. Use it."

He'll bring me to my knees before the buckling in my own will give out, I just _know _it. Hastily I blurt out the first words that come to my head:

"I'm sorry."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** Reviews always, always help, especially since I'm working on re-editing. Thank you for reading!


	7. Answers

**EDITED 6/17/2010**

**Author's Comments: **There's a lot of information in this next chapter, but I'm trying to make the delivery as painless as possible. Let me know how I did!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

The three teens reel back as confused as ever, but not Master Yen Sid. If my mouth would stop running a mile a minute, I know I'd reel back in shock, too.

"I-I left when you told me not to," I babble on, not completely sure of what I'm saying. "I should have trusted your powers and waited until the right moment but I was impatient and afraid and I just really wanted to get away from everything and—"

"Imani."

I bite my tongue, ducking my head and curling into myself in an effort to become as small as possible.

"I understand," he murmurs quietly, "and it's all in the past."

I let out a sigh of relief but my mind spins with questions. Why am I cowering like this? What am I doing? What am I saying?

"Imani?" Kairi's lavender sneaker comes into view from the corner of my eye. "Did something happen?"

I don't know! I don't know I don't know _I don't know!_

The invisible puppet strings holding me up snap and my buckling knees finally fall out under me, sending me tumbling to the ground. The uneasy stickiness in my stomach writhes and my heart hammers against my ribcage, crying for release. Sobs rack my lungs and I heave for air and my fingers claw at my skull as I moan, "I can't _take _this anymore! What is going on? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?"

A pair of arms wrap around me and pull me into an embrace. "Shh," a voice hushes. "Imani, calm down."

_"Shh. It's okay. You're okay, Imani."_

"Aden..." I whimper, tears spilling out onto the shoulder. "Aden, please wake me _up_..."

"This is not a dream."

The rumbling voice, stern and painfully final, stabs me in the chest, stilling the throbbing for a moment before my heart bleeds out the last of my hope. "Then what _is _this?" I demand, tearing away from the embrace and scowling pathetically up at Master Yen Sid. "Please tell me! Tell me why I woke up in another person's bed and why I'm spewing nonsense from my mouth every few seconds and how the hell that nonsense happens to be completely accurate and completely relevant one-hundred percent of the time!"

His glare easily overpowers my own. The frown on his face doesn't part and he gives no vindication.

"I'm _begging _you..." I whisper. "Please..."

Slowly his chest rises and falls in a sigh. "Tell us, Sora." He averts his hawk-like gaze to the spiky-haired boy. "Why did Imani apologize to me just now?"

_Sora knows? _The squashing sensation from my stress lifts off my brain a tad as I whip my head to Sora, ignoring the strands of my hair sticking to my tear-stained face. _But we only met this morning._

Sora opens his mouth and appears to be ready to protest to Master Yen Sid's request, but the glare the older man sends him kills the gripe instantly, leaving Sora to bite his lip and squeeze his eyes shut in thought. "Imani...was running away..." An eye peeks open. "Right?"

"From what?" the wizard prompts, neither confirming nor denying Sora's statement.

The boy's hand reaches up to ruffle his hair. "From...the castle...and all these worlds..."

"Because?"

"Um...Because she...didn't want to remember anymore..."

"Remember what?"

His eyes open, the blue hues swirling in grief and his voice sounding the surest it has since beginning his answer. "Everything. She didn't want to remember everything."

"_I'm leaving, too," a blond boy whispers harshly, glancing over his shoulder at the distant voice calling his name. "Let's both leave. You won't have to remember anything anymore."_

I breathe in deeply—shakily, uttering the name of the boy, "Roxas."

Sora sighs, a sad smile pulling his lips. "He helped you escape Organization XIII, didn't he?"

_Rain...leather...whispers...Roxas! Come out wherever you are..._

My breathing slowly evens out as snippets play in my head. "He was leaving to figure out why the keyblade chose him and..."

_"Just do it! Xigbar will find us if we don't hurry!"_

I shake my head slowly in disbelief as my lips mouth the command word-for-word, second-for-second. That was _my_ voice.

"You both came to me," Master Yen Sid finishes. "It was because of your impatience that Roxas was captured by DiZ and placed in Twilight Town."

"_Run, Imani!"_

"_But_—_"_

"_Just _GO!_"_

"You were able to escape, but Roxas was not." Master Yen Sid rises from his seat, stepping slowly around his desk. "Then what happened?"

_Large, round ears...a wet cloth on my forehead...someone mumbling an incantation..._

"The king found me..." I murmur mechanically, my indignant outburst moments ago having stripped me of any energy to question the images in my mind or the words from my mouth anymore. "And you..." I finally look Master Yen Sid in the eye, "you...did something..."

The man kneels down to my level, peering closely at me. "Imani," he says quietly, "_what are you?_"

_"__Maxiin." Long, silver hair billows in the wind as he stares lovingly at the huge heart-shaped moon hovering before him. "What are you?"_

My eyes stare blankly at Master Yen Sid and I hear my voice drone, "I am the past, present, and future."

_I am the what?_

"I-Imani?" someone says.

_What am I saying?_

"I am the light and the darkness. I am the entity of power." _I'm spewing nonsense again, aren't I?_ "I am the writer who will inscribe all of destiny."

"_Very good." He turns to me, his goldenrod eyes glittering. "And through you I will live forever."_

"Imani!" A hand—Kairi's?—grips my shoulder. "What's happening? What are you talking about?"

At the sound of Kairi's voice, my trance-like state shatters. I blink away the bleariness in my eyes, glancing at Master Yen Sid pleadingly.

"Wait! Riku!" Sora wheels around to the silver-haired boy who hadn't spoken at all since entering this room. "You said you had a hunch, right? What was it? Do you know what's going on?"

Riku's brow creases and he crosses his arms, seeming to take his time to choose his words carefully. "I think I know, but I'm not entirely sure..."

"Please," I whisper again. "Tell us what's going on."

After a long moment, Master Yen Sid finally nods, rising to his full height. "Please make yourselves comfortable. This will take some time to explain."

Amidst sudden puffs of shimmering dust, a few wooden chairs appear. The four of us scramble to sit down before staring at Master Yen Sid expectantly, not daring to breathe. The man lowers himself to his seat, patting down his robes and carefully removing his hat to a corner of his desk.

"Imani...or rather, Maxiin," Master Yen Sid begins, "is a Nobody created by Xemnas and designed to keep and manipulate memories. She remembers every single detail of the journeys you've taken, Sora—"

As if on cue, the images flash: _Metal screeching on metal...slashing with keyblades of all designs...blasting at yellow-eyed enemies with bursts of magic...fighting to keep hopes alive_...

"—as well as every minute of your wait in Destiny Islands, Kairi—"

_Standing and staring patiently at the sparkling ocean...carving in pictures on rock walls...sitting in an empty cell with only a yellow dog for company...fighting to keep faith from faltering..._

"—and every second of darkness you've embraced, Riku."

_Tying the blindfold behind the head...swearing allegiances to forces beyond imagination...testing personal limits...fighting to tame the ugliness consuming the heart..._

"She knows everything that's happened within Organization XIII and within the worlds you've all encountered...and then some."

_Black cloaks...creatures with yellow and red glares...mountains and islands and stars...stained-glass circles smeared with color...forests and castles and savannas and oceans..._

"He may not have shown it," Master Yen Sid leans back in his chair and props his elbows on the arms, "but Xemnas was well aware of how powerful you are, Sora. He created Maxiin in order to ensure a part of him would live on if he ceased to exist. He wanted someone to retain the memories of everyone."

"But why?" Sora asks.

"And how?" I blurt, scooting to the edge of my seat. "I thought the _heart _was the vessel that retains memories. That was how Sora was able to advance through Castle Oblivion: the memories of his friends and the light in those emotions was what kept him going. Nobodies don't have hearts. Without a heart, is it even possible for a Nobody to hold so many memories along with the emotions—or lack thereof—behind them?"

As soon as I stop speaking, my jaw clenches and I force down an exasperated groan. I hardly believe how naturally this knowledge comes to me...

"Perhaps Xemnas intended to somehow instill a heart into your being so that you could preserve all memories. Perhaps he created you so that a heart would not be necessary for you to preserve all memories. There are no definite answers at this moment." Master Yen Sid sighs. "As for why Xemnas would want to create a memory keeper, I do not know for sure, but I fear he has a plan to return and reclaim Kingdom Hearts."

"He _has _a plan?" Sora stammers and nearly falls off his chair. "But he's _gone_. Riku and I saw him disappear!"

"He lives on..." the older man nods towards me, "in her. My assumption is that he instilled his resurrection plans in her memory so she could carry them out and bring him back to life."

Sora reaches under his chair and drags it closer to Master Yen Sid's desk. "How can she bring him back to life?"

He shakes his head. "I do not know. However, it is certain that Maxiin was aware of Xemnas' plans."

"Is that why she left Organization XIII?" Sora asks.

"But why would she leave in the first place?" Riku argues. "Wouldn't she want to serve Xemnas if she was part of Organization XIII?"

"Maxiin mind contains _all_ memories," Master Yen Sid reasons, "meaning memories of both light _and_ darkness. Perhaps that gives her the capability to inscribe a destiny of either one."

Riku sighs, crossing his arms again and dipping his head so his bangs cover his eyes. "That doesn't quite explain why she'd leave..."

"Do you remember anything, Imani?" Sora turns to me eagerly and almost falling off his chair again.

No matter how much I refuse to believe it, everything Master Yen Sid has said makes sense...except one thing.

"Why didn't I have any of these memories before?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at the man. "The image floods only started after Axel called me 'Maxiin' in my dream last night, and the dreams of being in the dark with those yellow orbs—" I dig my fingers into my knees to keep from flinching, "—only started a week ago."

"I cannot explain the timing in which you remembered," Master Yen Sid's voice rumbles, "but you did not hold the memories because you forgot."

"I _forgot?_" My lips curl into an incredulous smile as I laugh breathlessly. "How could I have forgotten any of this?"

He doesn't bat an eyelash at my disbelief. "You asked me to help you forget."

_"I...want it to stop."_

My own voice echoing in my head makes the smile drop clear off my face. "O-Oh...right..." I avert my gaze to my white-knuckled hands on my knees bashfully.

"We've already established that you left—_ran away_ from Organization XIII because you did not want to retain the memories stored inside of you," Master Yen Sid reminds me. "What or who spurned your desire to forget?_"  
_

"You _are the answer to everything. This responsibility rests on your shoulders alone," a man in dark red tells me, a heavy seriousness weighing down every word so that they practically crawl into my ears. "Will you give into the darkness or run away and search for the light?"_

"An...Ansem," I whisper. "There was a man named Ansem. I think he introduced me to the light through my memories."

"That must be why you left," Kairi concludes. "You wanted to find the light!"

I frown. Can Nobodies want light? Maybe I was just running away from the responsibility. Maybe I didn't want to be used. Maybe...

_"__I can't take this anymore!"_

"Regardless of the reasons you left, you and Roxas arrived here," Master Yen Sid's deep voice cuts through my thoughts. "Roxas sought answers, and you sought a new beginning. You changed your name from 'Maxiin' to 'Imani.' The boy was quickly recaptured and had his memories of Organization XIII erased while you escaped and fled to another world. You'd become weak and passed out when you arrived at the king's doorstep."

"I became weak from running away?" I ask, despite the way his words precisely narrated the memories playing in my head like a horror movie someone forced me to watch, complete with handcuffs and cloth gag. My hands subconsciously release my knees to rub my wrists and I swallow thickly.

He shakes his head. "No, but from removing your black cloak which served as an enclosure to keep in all your darkness. Perhaps the sudden exposure to the light made you weak."

_"__Please…just finish it all."_

"You were afraid someone—particularly from the Organization—would find you and capture you in your weakened state, so you asked me to seal up your memories and send you away to a completely different universe." One of Master Yen Sid's hands moves to rub his temple. "The task proved to be mind-boggling as there is no magic capable of completely fulfilling your request. I doubt I was able to completely stop your mind from recording, but I managed to implant new memories that at least concealed those you acquired from this universe."

If I thought his stern voice telling me I wasn't dreaming was like a knife stabbing me in the heart, then this revelation that all my memories with Aden and my family in some other universe has to be the gun shooting bullets into every crevice of my body _except_ my heart, leaving it to pump all my blood out from the holes as I repeat "I was a lie, I was a lie, I was a _lie_" like a mantra.

A new warmth springs behind my eyes and my throat starts to thicken. _Aden_...

"So does that make her a Somebody or a Nobody?" Kairi asks quietly while placing a hand over my own.

"When she entered her universe, she became a Somebody," the man replies. "I believe she still retains that status even in our universe."

My eyes dart to the ceiling to keep the tears in. I have to agree. I feel my heart pumping the life from me.

"And how come I dreamt of Imani for the past week?" Sora asks.

Surprise faintly laces Master Yen Sid's voice. "You've dreamt of Imani for the past week?"

"That's how I knew who she was when we met her today. I've been having dreams of seeing her alone in darkness and only a few days ago did I start talking to her and helping her fight Heartless."

The chair next to me scrapes against the floor and Kairi snakes her arm around mine. _What I'd give to be heartless right now. Or oblivious._

_"It'll be alright." Soothing fingers comb through my hair. _

His voice snaps me from my moping. What am I doing, dwelling on myself like this while these people I just met are doing all they can to help me? Aden wouldn't want to see this.

Exhaling sharply, I straighten up in my seat, squeezing Kairi's hand in a silent "thank you." I roll my tongue around in my mouth, just to stretch it out a little, before croaking, "I think...it's because you've had to call memories from your heart before, Sora. Remember Castle Oblivion? You were battling with your heart over these real and fake memories. Maybe because I went through that same struggle...there was a connection between our hearts?"

"That kinda makes sense," Sora concedes after a moment, a corner of his mouth tugging into a smile.

"Well, Riku," Master Yen Sid's eyes flit to the nearly-silent boy, "Did the hunch you have reflect my answers?"

Riku nods slowly, raising his head to look us in the eyes. "No one ever said anything, but occasionally Ansem—who I'd known as DiZ when I was working for him—and Xemnas would say something about a 'Maxiin' or an 'Imani.' They would always mention memories when talking about her. When Imani appeared in my bedroom this morning out of blue, I started piecing together a possible answer to everything."

Master Yen Sid's thick eyebrows inch upward. "In your _bedroom?_"

My face heats up and Riku's cheekbones flare with color. "If her name hadn't sounded familiar, I'd have thought she was a fan girl," Riku mumbles.

Kairi and Sora laugh happily, their smiles carefree despite the discussion we had moments ago. As Riku commands Sora gruffly to shut up, my cheeks tug my lips into a ghost of a smile. These people...

"Perhaps you should stay the night," Master Yen Sid suggests. "You may search for answers through my resources tomorrow if you wish."

"Great idea," Sora yawns loudly, stretching his arms out. "Thanks, Master."

My faux smile falls. Sleep...I'm not sure I like the idea of sleeping anymore, despite the yawn bursting forth from my mouth

"It's been a long day," Kairi says with a soft smile. "You should probably get some rest. We can sleep together, if you want. I'll be there to rescue you from your weird dreams."

A corner of my mouth quirks up and I give her hand another squeeze. _Thank you._

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Gah, FINALLY waded through this chapter. Just wondering, is "keyblade" capitalized? Does it depend on how it's used?

Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!


	8. Amazing

**EDITED 6/18/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Here's a super-short chapter (compared to the last chapter, anyway).

Hooray for a new day to re-edit! Hope you enjoy reading and hope to hear your feedback!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_My hand is empty. _

_I look down to study my trembling fingers before quickly curling them into a fist. The fingernails dig into my palm and I grimace, opening the fist up again and clasping both hands together tightly until they start shaking. With a defeated sigh, I realize I can't mimic the warmth from Kairi's hand in mine_.

_"__Maxiin!"_

_I glance up at the shout. Axel? No, this voice isn't edgy enough. It's cheery.  
_

_"__It's really you!"_

_My heart skips a beat when I see a pair of black arms swing out from behind me. One of the arms knocks into my chin clumsily and I fall back into the arms' owner's body with a grunt. "Axel was right! You're here!" the voice shouts directly into my ear.  
_

_I try to look over my shoulder (Who _is_ this?)__ but the mystery visitor quickly slaps his gloved hands over my eyes, squishing my nose and forcing a cry from me. "Hey!"  
_

_"__Guess who this is!" The man's laughter sends tiny vibrations through my back from his chest. "You remembered Axel and Roxas and even Namine, so you'll _definitely_ remember me."_

_"__How did you know I remembered Roxas and Namine?" I demand, trying and failing to pry off his fingers. "You weren't around when that happened. And why are you calling me 'Maxiin'?"  
_

_"__I'll tell you if you guess correctly!"_

_Demyx, a voice in my head instantly provides. This is Demyx.  
_

_I heave a sigh, letting my hands drop to my sides and leaning back into him. I don't know if I'll ever get used to being an overnight know-it-all..._

_"Come on, Maxiin, otherwise we'll be standing here forever," he sing-songs._

_My eyes light up under his palm and my cheeks press against his hands as a devious smile tugs my lips. I suddenly feel like teasing this "Demyx."  
_

_"Is this Marluxia?" I ask, spouting the first name that comes to mind.  
_

_"Nope!" Demyx chirps.  
_

_My tongue twists awkwardly when I verbalize the names. __"Xigbar?"  
_

_"Nope!"_

_My smile begins to fall and I have to stop myself from shaking my head in disbelief. These have to be some of the strangest names I've ever heard. "Lexaeus?"  
_

_"Maxiin! Stop fooling around," the voice whines. _

_I twitch at the pout, but the thought of seeing this man's stuck-out bottom lip and his glare brings the smile back to my face. "Demyx."_

_"__Ding ding ding!" He removes his hands and spins me around fast. "Correct!"_

_Blearily I blink at the tall (but not as tall as Axel) man. The first thing about him that catches my eye is his hair_—_a strange sand-colored combination of a Mohawk and a mullet. His light blue eyes appear to glow even in the darkness surrounding us. Perhaps the smile wide enough to threaten ripping his face in half has something to do with that.  
_

_He doesn't always wear that smile, though...  
_

"Silence, traitor."*

_I shake my head to erase the image, clearing my throat and crossing my arms.__ "I guessed correctly, so answer my question: How did you know I remembered Roxas and Namine?"_

_"__Because we're all in your memories," he says, placing a hand on one hip and tapping his temple with a finger from the other. "Whatever goes on with you goes through us."_

_"Oh...Okay." I nod slowly, hoping the tilting of my head will somehow create space to store the new_—bizarre—_information Demyx revealed. "So because you're in my memories, you're in my dreams, too?"_

_"Uh, yeah." His eyes rolls up in thought as he nods. "Basically. I think Zexion said something about dreams being creations of the mind's subconscious or whatever."_

_"So since everyone is in my memories, will I see all of you eventually?"_

_"Probably. I don't know. I just came because I wanted to see you."  
_

_To my secret exasperation, a sudden image of Demyx pulling out a white slip of paper from his cloak makes me snicker aloud. "Really? You didn't get orders on a note card?"_

_He cringes with a hiss. "__Ouch, Maxiin. Just because you know _everything_ doesn't mean you should rub it in my face."  
_

_"__You can handle it," I laugh to cover up the groan in my head and the sticky unease in my stomach. Along with a mindful of memories, I seem to have acquired a mouthful of attitude...  
_

_"__Yeah, but your Somebody...Imani, was it?" Demyx snorts. "In a sick way, it's refreshing when you act like her. You know, nice and quiet and agreeable. You were never in that _Aden _guy's face. You two got along _so _well. It wouldn't hurt to_—_"_

_The mention of the name completely destroys the fake mirth. My shoulders slump and my heart throbs painfully at the thought of the older boy with side-swept dark hair and chocolate-colored eyes_—

_"__Maxiin?" Demyx bends down to my level, his cynical smirk gone without a trace and his eyes locking with mine. "You okay?"_

I miss you, Aden.

_I nod, plastering a fake half-smile on my face. "I'm sorry," I murmur, swallowing down the waver in my voice. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this."_

_He nods eagerly, his hair swinging back and forth. "Everything's happening pretty fast, huh? ____Yeah, I get it." His hands perch on my shoulders.__ "Don't stress out so much over it. Just go with the flow and soon enough, you'll _know _you have everything under control."_

_I silently marvel at how his melodious voice soothes away the pain in my chest and the stickiness in my stomach. "I guess you're right," I admit, my half-smile becoming easier to keep on.  
_

_"You can do it, Maxiin." That face-tearing smile explodes. "We're counting on you to reincarnate the Superior."  
_

_A tense beat of stunned silence and stiffening bodies and frozen-over smiles fills the air after his words. "Reincarnate the Superior?" I slowly repeat, arching an eyebrow.  
_

_Demyx, slowly releasing my shoulders and backing away, lets out an uncomfortable laugh. "Oops...Did I say too much?"_

"_No, explain to me," I insist, taking a step forward. "What are you talking about?"_

"_I-I uh_—_" His eyes dart away from my stare for a split-second, lighting up and warming up his smile again. "I gotta go!"_

"_What? Wait_—_"_

_I freeze, dread pooling in the pit of my stomach and fear fueling my heartbeat up to a mile a minute the moment my ears catch the ominous sucking noise.  
_

"_See ya later, Maxiin!" He waves just as clouds of black smoky miasma swallow him up._

_Sweat begins to break out on my skin and the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight as I stare helplessly at the space Demyx stood in. Yellow orbs swirl into being all around me, but they seem higher than the ones I saw last night. I can hardly hear my own thoughts over the sucking racket._

_Mentally commanding myself to _breathe_, I __shiver as the gusts of air ghost over my skin with each new yellow orb that appears and fold my limbs into my body. Didn't I get rid of them all yesterday?_

_"Imani!"_

_I flinch with a cry, tearing my eyes away from the orbs. _Sora_._

_"Don't be afraid. Call the keyblade and fight!"_

_A gasp escapes my lips. The tension in my muscles vanishes. __Like magic my lungs fall into a steady rhythm of inhaling an exhaling and the unease in my stomach sinks away. Calm embraces my quivering heart as I think of the faces of the new people I'd met, especially their accepting smiles and their supportive glances. _

_It's...amazing.  
_

_Pushing aside my fear (as much of it as I can, at least), I cautiously stretch out my arm before me and swipe it across my chest. My fingers curl over the cold, lightweight metal of a keyblade. Glittering light drizzles from the blade as I point it out towards the higher yellow orbs, grasping the hilt with both hands.  
_

_It's amazing.  
_

_I shake my head in awe. All I needed to regain my composure and find the courage to stand tall was a few words of encouragement. I feel like a completely different person._

_It's _amazing_.  
_

_"That's it, Imani. You can do it!"_

_I breathe in deeply, staring the orbs determinedly. "I can do it."  
_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought:** Demyx! What do you think? Is he in character? Please, please, please review!


	9. Beginning

**EDITED 6/19/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Ninth installment! Thanks for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

"Imani? Time to get up."

When I peel my eyes open and blink the sleepiness away, I find Kairi's smiling face hovering above me. "Good morning. Breakfast is on that table over there." She points to a platter of fruit, a glass of water, and a few slices of toast.

"Thanks," I mumble, pushing myself upright. My skin tingles in the chilly air as I pull my arms from the warmth of my comforter and stretch them above my head. The stars dotting the sky outside the window force me to do a double-take.

"When you finish eating, you can join us in Master Yen Sid's study," Kairi says, closing the door behind her after I nod.

I reach over to grab a piece of toast and nibble on it. I have to admit to myself that last night's dream wasn't so bad. (I laugh silently at the thought of Demyx's weird hairdo.) Still, something's wrong if I'm feeling more tired _after_ a full-night's rest...

Well, I wasn't really resting last night anyway. The aches in my arms are proof of that.

Abruptly a knock on the door breaks my thoughts. "Come in," I call after swallowing my food.

Sora's head peeks in, a wide grin on his face. "Morning!"

"Morning," I reply around a yawn that stretches my mouth. "Thank you for last night."

One of his eyebrows arch up and his blue eyes linger away. "Last night...Oh! That! Right! Yeah, no prob." His eyes return to me. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Sure. Come in."

He shuts the door, grabbing a nearby chair and dragging it next to my bed. "Did you notice anything different?" he asks as he sits down.

I nod, dusting the crumbs from my fingertips and picking up an apple. "The yellow orbs—I mean, the Heartless' bodies felt more angular when I landed hits. I kept feeling gusts of wind blowing in my face, too."

"They were Soldier Heartless this time," he explains with a nod of his own. "They attack differently than Shadow Heartless."

I blink in surprise. "You can see what they are?"

"Yeah." He looks at me strangely. "You can't?"

"I only see glimpses of their bodies from the light of their orbs."

"Huh...You seemed to know exactly where to attack them."

"I guess that's because they made clanking noises whenever they moved."

"Oh...Well, okay." He shrugs. "Did you see Axel again?"

I shake my head. "Actually, Demyx came this time."

Again he gives me a weird look. "Who's Demyx?"

"The one who blasted the pillars of water at you and called those dancing music notes," I clarify upon envisioning a fierce battle in a ruined courtyard. "He fought with a blue sitar."

Ice-cold water crashes down on me from above, seeping into my thin pajamas and crawling down my back. I gasp as an intense shiver overcomes my body. My shaking hands clutch the slippery apple and my toes curl as the night-like breeze whooshes into the room and blasts my face and makes my lips tingle until I feel them turning blue—

"Imani!" Sora cries. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah," I answer through chattering teeth. "I j-j-j-j-just-t-t-t-t-t..."

The instant I glance down to look at my soaked pajamas, the shivering ceases. The teeth-chattering stops. The tingling in my lips disappears.

My pajamas aren't soaked. I'm completely dry.

"Imani?"

But how? I _felt_ the water hit me. I _felt_ it sink into my—

"Imani?"

"S-Sorry," I blurt, looking up at Sora, his wide eyes screaming _Oh my gosh what's going on are you okay? _"I just...remembered him."

"O-Oh." He nods uncertainly, the panic in his eyes still evident. "I-I, uh, remember him, too."

Hastily I take a bite from the apple in my hand, commanding myself to _just go with the flow_ as Demyx suggested, no matter how freaked out I am. "A-Anyway, he mentioned something strange."

"What was it?"

"He said something about 'reincarnating the Superior.' I tried asking him about it, but he left before I could get an answer."

"Could that have been Xemnas' resurrection plans?" a new voice asks.

We both turn to the door and find Riku leaning against the open jamb. "Your dream also showed that Axel isn't the only one who can meet you. I wonder if that means the rest of the Organization XIII members are able to contact you, even if they're gone."

"They can since they're in my memories, according to Demyx. He said that they were all able to access whatever goes through my mind. He knew I had remembered Roxas and Namine through you and Kairi," I wave my apple-holding hand to Sora, "so could that mean they can access Xemnas' plans if I remember them?"

"That wouldn't be good," Riku mutters with a grimace.

_No,_ I agreed, frowning at recalling the sensory overloads attached with remembering particular memories. _That can't be good at all._

The silver-haired boy steps into the room further and sits on the edge of my bed. "I guess that means we have to figure out what these plans are before Organization XIII can do anything with them. They must be stored in your memory somewhere." He pokes my forehead. "Maybe if you can remember them, we can figure out a way to prevent Xemnas' return."

"How can we do that?" Sora asks as I rub the spot Riku poked. "So far, you've been remembering everything with the help of outside triggers. Does that mean we have to find the right triggers to make you remember the plans?"

"I suppose that's the quickest way, isn't it?" Riku shrugs, glancing at me. "You've got a lot of memories, after all."

Another sigh escapes my mouth and my shoulders slump. I study my once-bitten apple and murmur, "That sounds like it'll take forever."

"Don't worry!" Sora chirps. "You're not alone! We're all going to help."

I glance up in time to see Riku nod in agreement and stifle a third sigh. I only met them yesterday yet they've been nothing but supportive towards me—a stranger who knows enough about them to be considered a stalker or a mental ward case prone to powerful hallucinations.

It's amazing how they don't question me as much as I question myself.

"You'd better finish eating quickly. Sora's got a black hole for a stomach."

"I can't help it!"

I bite into my apple with a halfhearted breathless laugh. _Amazing...but weird._

* * *

"I see," Master Yen Sid murmurs after we finish recounting our discussion. "I believe that is the only option to take at the moment if we are to completely prevent Xemnas from returning." He eyes me in particular when asking, "Are you sure you're willing to revisit your memories?"

_No. If I could, I'd erase all these new memories and start anew, even if it means never remembering kind people like Sora or Aden again._

But that's wrong. That isn't fair to Sora and Kairi and Riku. Aden wouldn't want that, either. Wanting to restart whenever I come across something I think is too overwhelming isn't right, especially if it's something only I can accomplish. Putting myself before others isn't right. It's selfish._  
_

"Yes." I answer quietly, ignoring the weight of responsibility I'm loading onto my shoulders and allowing a small smile. "I can't keep everyone hanging. I need to complete this...whatever _this _is."

He nods sagely. "Like any journey, there will be challenges. You'll have to be on your guard from the darkness, whether you are awake or asleep. I had said yesterday that you could possibly have the capability to bring a destiny of light or of darkness. Be careful that the darkness doesn't consume your heart and revert you into your Nobody."

I reel back slightly. "I can revert back to my Nobody?"

"Part of the reason you became Imani was because you allowed the light to overtake the darkness of Maxiin's heart. Right now, as in all things, there is a balance of both light and darkness inside you. There is a chance you could lose your heart to the darkness, transforming you into a Nobody once more."

I press my lips together and stay silent. I don't want to lose my heart, not after I've come so far to get it. If it means defying Xemnas, then so be it...even if the thought makes my stomach flip.

"Hey." Sora places a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll all be there to keep you on track."

"I think I should stay here, then," Riku ponders aloud as he crosses his arms. "My darkness might be a bad influence on Imani."

_Jade eyes sparkle as they roam over the dark bat-wing-like blade of the sword. The boy smirks and the green-skinned witch looks on in approval._

"Riku!" The brunet exclaims, whipping around so quickly I wonder if he feels dizzy. "Don't say that! You're coming with us."

"No," Riku says sternly. "I don't want to risk it."

"But—"

"I shouldn't, Sora. I can't."

"You can."

_"What I said back there...about thinking I was better at stuff than you...To tell you the truth, Sora...I was jealous of you."*_

"You can," I repeat to Riku, wondering where this burning confidence came from, "and you should. I know you can come. You should come."

_"Though it is inconceivable," his voice rumbles bitterly, "should I be unable to carry out my current plans, the path to my reincarnation will be unstoppable."_

"I have this feeling that the darkness will do all it can to bring Xemnas' plans to life," I confess, averting my eyes from shocked jade to startled blue. "Like a premonition. It makes my heart race and my nerves explode."

Riku shakes his head. "All the more reason why I should—"

"I'm going to need all the help I can get in order to stop this." My feet stomp up to him and I look him square in the eye. "I need _you _and _Sora _and _Kairi _and _Master Yen Sid _and whoever else I can find to help me. It's because of you that I'm able to take in all this change in such a short period of time. You keep me _sane_."

"But—"

"I've seen what you've been though and I understand your hesitation." For the first time in a long while, my lips stretch into a genuine smile and an incredible warmth spreads throughout my core. "You might think you're not qualified, but to me, your hesitation shows how selfless you are. I see your light, even if you don't."

"The spectator observes the game better than the player," Master Yen Sid adds. "I am aware of your light as well, Riku, as is Sora and Kairi, I'm sure. You've come a long way."

The resolve in Riku's hardened eyes slowly dissolves. "I can't promise anything..."

"I'm not asking you to," I tell him. "Just be there for me. Please."

With a defeated sigh and a tiny smile, he finally nods. "Fine."

"Yes!" Sora punches his fist in the air.

I turn from Riku to look at Kairi questioningly. "Will you come, too?"

The girl shakes her head. "I think I should stay here," Kairi says with a wistful smile. "I can help Master Yen Sid research more about you."

"A wise decision," the man says. "It would be wise if an informant remains here to keep in touch with you."

"Okay," Sora nods. "You should be safe here."

She rolls her eyes. "I'll be fine. It's you three that I'm worried about."

Riku smirks and Sora puffs out his chest. "We can handle it," they declare smugly.

Kairi puts her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes almost like she did when she gave Sora her lucky charm all those years ago. "You two had better protect Imani no matter what, okay?"

"You'll need new clothes, Imani," Master Yen Sid notes as Riku and Sora salute stiffly to Kairi, his eyes raking over my pajamas. "Those will not protect you."

I lift an arm and almost laugh at the thin sleeve around my limb. I doubt they will. "Can you hold onto these for me while I'm away?" I ask. "I'd like to keep them."

He nods slowly. "Very well. I shall summon the three fairies. They will provide you with the clothes you'll need for your journey."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** What do you think? Please leave a review! Thank you for reading!


	10. Departure

**EDITED 6/19/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Whoo...I'm slowly getting through these revisions. Let me know how I'm doing!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

The three fairies—Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather—come and go in poofs of fairy dust so thick I nearly choke. Before I know it, the light pajamas I was wearing are safely tucked away in a dresser in one of Master Yen Sid's guest rooms. The fairies replaced them with dark fingerless gloves, a light-colored tank top underneath a lightweight jacket with rolled-up sleeves, and stretchy shorts that reach my knees. Springy trainers fit my feet snugly.

Kairi digs around in her pockets. "We should pin your hair back." With an "aha" she withdraws a few tiny metal hairpins and quickly snaps them on my head. "It'll probably be easier to fight without having to constantly push your hair away."

"Now you just need a weapon," Sora notes.

"But _you _already have the keyblade," I reply, gingerly touching the pins and earning a light swat from Kairi.

"Riku has a keyblade, too," he says with a shrug. "So does the king."

Master Yen Sid interrupts, "I don't believe she'll be needing a weapon right now. Maxiin did not have a weapon when she came to me after escaping Organization XIII. Her weapon, perhaps, is her memory."

I arch an eyebrow. My _memory?_

"Are we traveling by Gummi Spaceship again?" Sora asks excitedly after a shrug at Master Yen Sid's theory.

"That should not be necessary," the man answers, shooting down Sora's hopes. "The portals between worlds are still present, and Merlin and I have been working together to improve them so that merely stepping into the light with a clear destination in mind will suffice. Should you have to travel to a world and a mean of transportation is unavailable, Merlin will be able to assist you."

"Speaking of Merlin," Sora taps his chin, "maybe we should visit Hollow Bastion first. We can tell the others about what's going on."

Riku nods. "They might be able to help us figure something out about Imani."

Master Yen Sid motions for us to take a few steps back. Waving his hands calmly, he forms a pool of light in the floor. "This portal shall take you to Hollow Bastion. Kairi and I will keep you informed of any new information through Merlin."

The three of us—Sora, Riku, and I—step towards the light pool, looking back at Kairi one last time. "We'll be back," Sora and Riku tell her together.

She nods with a smile. "Be careful."

A pang of loneliness stabs my chest as I look on. I can't remember ever having friends as close to me as these three are to each other (besides Aden). How nice that they can always look forward to seeing each other again.

I give a start as slim arms wrap around me and pull me close. "You be careful, too," Kairi says near my ear.

Hesitantly, my own arms wrap around her to return the hug lightly. "T-Thank you," I murmur dazedly.

"I'll be waiting for all three of you." She pulls away, smiling brightly. "It'll be alright as long as you stick together, and even when you're apart, you'll always be in each other's hearts. That's how friendship works."

My heart skips a beat. _Friendship..._

Master Yen Sid slips his hands into his sleeves. "Be on your guard, all of you."

With a deep breath, I follow Sora and Riku into the light. Master Yen Sid's study quivers and ripples and the last thing I see before light completely blinds me is Kairi's waving hand.

My entire body pulses and tingles with energy. I feel like I'm disintegrating into tiny pieces but when I glance down, I'm still completely intact. In moments the light surrounding us fades to reveal a quiet town.

The finger-scratching at the back of my head starts up as I gawk at the town with bated breath. Shopkeepers converse with customers. People stroll around casually. Small pig-like creatures with bat wings and big red balls bouncing from antennas on their heads—_Moogles, _something in my mind tells me—float and "kupo" randomly.

_Hollow Bastion._

"It hasn't changed a bit since we last came," Sora comments, hands behind his head.

"Let's head to Merlin's, then." Riku begins walking while Sora and I tag along behind.

* * *

"Sora!" a teenage girl with short dark hair bounces up to said boy, hugging him enthusiastically. "What're _you _doing here?"

My mind kicks into gear the moment I see her. _Yuffie. Ninja who wields a giant star. Slightly obsessed with materia.  
_

"Sora's here?" a hunched over man sitting at a huge computer system calls over his shoulder gruffly.

_Cid. Mechanical expert. Adoptive father of sorts. Always has something in his mouth.  
_

"Yup!" Yuffie pulls back, beaming brightly. When her eye catches Riku, she frowns and arches her thin eyebrow. "Who're you?"

Sora steps to the side, grabbing the silver-haired boy by the arm and pulling him forward. "This is my best friend, Riku."

Her eyes widen and the suspicion vanishes. "Ahh. I see. Sora's talked about you a lot. The name's Yuffie."

"Nice to meet you," Riku says.

"Sora!" Cid finally gets away from the computers, clapping a hand on the boy's back and fiddling with the lollipop in his mouth. "Good t'see ya. Nice t'meet ya, Riku. Folks call me Cid."

I blink, gaping at the lollipop sticking out. I really _am _a know-it-all.

A sudden poof of smoke interrupts the boys from replying. "Sora and Riku?" an elderly man in blue robes and spectacles exclaims. "Heavens! What are you two doing here?"

_Merlin. Wizard. Knowledgeable, but a bit of a_—

"Hey!"

I flinch, my nose nearly crashing into Yuffie's as she peers suspiciously at me. "Who're _you?_" she demands.

"I-Imani," I stutter, taking a step back. "N-Nice to m-meet—"

"Imani, huh?" she repeats skeptically.

"Yuffie! Cut the attitude." Cid scolds brashly from somewhere behind the girl.

She takes a few more moments to scrutinize my face before leaning away. Her eyes remain glued to me, though. "No offense, but something doesn't feel right when I look at her."

"She's actually the reason we're here," Riku explains, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Huh?" the two men and the girl exclaim.

"Before we explain, maybe we should get everybody else here first," Riku suggests. "It'll take a while to go through everything."

"Where is everybody?" Sora asks curiously, his eyes roaming around the cluttered room.

Yuffie counts off with her fingers. "Leon and Aerith are at the lab near Ansem's study, Tifa's in town, and Cloud's away right now. I'll go round up everybody. Be back in a jiffy!" She dashes out the door.

"Imani, was it?" Cid frowns. "Sorry 'bout Yuffie. She don't usually act like that."

"No! It's okay. I understand." I wave my hands eagerly, secretly relieved _someone_ started to suspect me.

In minutes Yuffie bursts through the door with several people who hurry to greet Sora. "We're back!" the girl announces.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" a girl with long brown hair tied up by a pink bow smiles serenely. "You look well, Sora."

_Aerith. Fought against the Heartless. A…healer of sorts? Possesses a strong will, a strong heart, and a strong sense of truth._

"Well, well." A tall dark-haired man with a scar on his face crosses his arms. "Yuffie was right. You really are here."

_Leon. Wields a long gun sword. Fought with Sora against the Heartless as well. Quiet and a bit aloof, but thoroughly dependable._

"Sora!" Another girl with long dark hair waves. "Haven't been getting into trouble, have you?"

_Tifa. Strong hand-to-hand combat fighter. Also fought with Sora against the Heartless. Tough, but cares deeply for those she cherishes._

"Good seeing you guys again," Sora answers cheerily. "It feels like it's been ages, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're all happy to see each other again! We get it! Now hurry up and tell us what's going on!" the ninja demands.

"Something's going on, Sora?" Leon's voice asks.

"Yeah." Sora and Riku step to either side of me and points a finger my way. "It's about her."

The three who just arrived exchange questioning glances with each other before studying me with mixed expressions—or lack thereof. "Who're you?" I'm asked for the second time.

I avert my gaze to the floor, the sudden attention making my face heat up. "Ima...Imani..."

"Imani," one of the women repeats softly. "You're special, aren't you?"

My heart jumps at her strange comment.

"Special, Aerith?" the other woman asks.

"Yes. I see that there's something about you that makes you unique."

Against my will I find myself staring into emerald green that sucks me in and somehow I feel bare and revealed in front of the woman.

"You've accomplished much, yet there is still more that is expected of you," she murmurs. "You carry a great responsibility that could change all the worlds forever."

_Who is this woman?_

"Tell us," she gently insists, her boot quietly tapping against the floor as she steps forward. "Who _are_ you?"

Finally breaking away from her magnetic gaze, I let my eyes roam over everyone present and spot the same question in their eyes. It hits me: many of the people I meet from now on will ask me the same thing. They'll wonder who I am and why I know so much...and they might not believe me as easily as Sora and Kairi and Riku do.

But I can't let that stop me.

Breathing in deeply, I part my lips and answer with a slight quiver in my voice and new determination, "My name is Imani. I am the Kismet Scribe."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!


	11. Friends

**EDITED 6/19/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Here we go—another revised chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

"An interesting predicament," Merlin muses after I finish trying to explain who (and what) I am. "Who would've thought the story would continue like this?"

I stick my tongue to the roof of my mouth to keep my jaw from hanging open in silent shock. They're taking this as well as Sora and Kairi and Riku did—maybe even better.

Yuffie scowls, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg. "How annoying."

"If it is as you say, Imani," Aerith says, "then it would be best if we did whatever we can to stop this."

Leon nods as his eyes study the ground a few feet before him. "We shouldn't stand idle if this kind of threat is real."

"What can we do then?" Tifa wonders, resting her hands on her hips and tilting her head to the side. "What are _you_ three planning to do?"

"So far, her memories are triggered by the things we say and do," Riku explains. "We were thinking of finding something to trigger her memory so she can remember Xemnas' plan. Once we figure that out, maybe we can find a way to stop it."

Tifa wrinkles her nose. "What kind of a trigger? Like a place or a person?"

Sora, Riku, and I all exchange uncertain glances. "Whatever works, I guess," Sora answers with a shrug.

"That sounds like it'll take a while," Leon's frown deepens as do the wrinkles on his forehead, "but right now it also sounds like the only solution."

I avert my gaze to the ground again. He's right on both accounts. What if the plan happens before we find a way to prevent it? What if it's already happening now and I'm not aware of it? What if there isn't anything we can do to stop it? What if _I_ can't stop it?_  
_

"Imani? Are you alright?"

Then, I notice: clenched jaw, eyebrows slightly drawn together in concern, hands shaking uncontrollably. A deep albeit shaky breath does nothing to ease the tension humming in my body.

"You're scared, aren't you?" A hand slips into mine and squeezes. "It's okay to be afraid."

With my eyes I travel from her hand up her arm to those soft green eyes. Aerith smiles gently and pulls me into a hug. "You can find strength in your friends—in _us_," she tells me. "You're not alone. We're all here to help you."

I gasp, the sensation of being surprised yet not surprised at how openly comforting this woman is making my head reel. The almost immediate support these strangers have shown me confounds me. None of them may understand entirely but they want to help all the same.

_"Those girls who only talk to you to copy your homework? They're not your friends," _Aden scoffed once. _"Your friends are the people who unconditionally love and support you. They're the ones who sacrifice willingly for you without thinking twice."_

I shook my head at him when he told me that. I thought I'd forever remain _that girl_, the one who never really clicked with anyone—the one who was always different. Besides Aden, I didn't think self-sacrificing people who could love me unconditionally existed.

How _wrong _I was.

"Perhaps you three should stay the night," Merlin suggests. "I will research what I can and you can prepare yourselves for tomorrow. I believe Huey, Duey, and Louie have some new merchandise that will aid you."

"You can stay with us," Leon puts in. "We've got room."

Aerith pulls away to look me in the eye once again. "Is that alright, Imani?"

Tears begin to push against the backs of my eyes and I grip Aerith's hand tighter. I nod. "Mmhm."

"Aw! Don't cry!" Tifa hurries up to me and I find myself in another hug. "Aerith's right. You're not alone. It's okay."

* * *

"Here we are," Aerith announces, swinging open the front door of a small cottage and stepping inside. I tip-toe in after Tifa, letting my eyes wander around the simply-furnished room. Two hallways stretch out from opposite sides of the room—one leading to a few bedrooms and a bathroom and the other leading to a kitchen, according to the images in my head.

"It's not much, but make yourself comfortable," Aerith says before heading towards the kitchen.

"Nice, huh?" Tifa says, her smile growing wider when I nod in agreement. "Aerith and Leon share this place. I've got my own house further in town."

I nod again. She didn't point it out, but I knew we passed by the house right after parting ways with Sora, Riku, and Leon. They went off to go shopping in the marketplace. "And Yuffie and Cid live with Merlin?" I gingerly sit down on the edge of the couch seat.

"Yup." Tifa plops down next to me, shaking her head and massaging a temple. "I don't know _how _Merlin puts up with them. They're on each other's cases all the time."

I instantly picture the two arguing over the last box of chocobo puffs. "Right."

Faint clanking and bubbling from the kitchen underlines the lapse of silence between us until Tifa speaks up. "So, um, you said you used to live in a different universe, right? What was it like?"

_"Happy birthday, Imani." He presents the plate of mini waffles and whipped cream and strawberries awkwardly, but his poorly-hidden smile betrays his aloofness.  
_

I can only shrug with one shoulder and glue my eyes to the hardwood floor. I'm not sure I trust the waver in my voice to smooth out if I say anything aloud.

"Y-You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she blurts quickly. "I was just wondering..."

I sigh, forcing on a small smile. "No, it's fine," I say after clearing my throat. "Um...In that other universe, there aren't any monsters like the Heartless, and we can only dream of being able to fight half as well as you and Sora and Leon and everyone else do."

"Really?" I look up to her and see that she's shifted in her seat, her head propped up by her arm against the back of the couch and her wine-colored eyes alight with interest. "So your universe is peaceful?"

"N-Not entirely. People still fight in wars and on TV...and even in school..."

"In school? Like gang fights?"

"Yeah." I nod a third time. "Gangs and...cliques..."

_"Dammit! Just leave her alone!"_

_"You're sticking up for that pathetic bitch? HA!"_

_"Don't you _dare_ call my sister that!"_

My head shakes firmly, ridding the ugly memory from sight. "This universe is much more accepting than that other one. If I ever went up to a stranger and told him that I knew his name, where he lived, what he did for a living, all his strengths and weaknesses, all his moments of triumph and failure...If I ever did that, I'd be shunned. People would do whatever they could to stay away from me without trying to understand me."

She narrows her eyes and scowls. "That's _cruel_."

A breathless laughs puffs past my lips. "That's _understandable_. Things like magic and supernatural powers don't exist there. A person's worth is based off of societal views, and society says that a person isn't worth wasting a minute over if he's different...if he doesn't make sense."

"I can't believe that!" Tifa cries, tangling her hand in her long hair and tugging on it in frustration. "You don't want to go back to a place like _that_, do you?"

_"She's a _bitch!_"_

_"I said DON'T CALL HER THAT, you bastard!"_

The familiar sting behind my eyes forces me to look away from the woman. "If it means seeing Aden again..."_  
_

Another lapse of silence tacks onto my sentence. The couch dips as Tifa scoots closer and wraps an arm around my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Imani," she sighs. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," I whisper with a sniffle.

The front door swings open and Sora, Riku, and Leon stride in. "We're back!" Sora proclaims, his arms full of different vials and bottles. Riku carries a bag filled with what looks like belts and bandanas while Leon holds a white box and a few bottles similar to the ones Sora has.

"Sora!" Tifa laughs, getting up to help him after giving me a final squeeze. "You could've asked the shopkeeper for a bag!"

"He was too eager to get here when I told him Aerith was cooking dinner," Leon drawls, shooting him a glare. "He made me pick up the ones he dropped."

"I didn't _make_ you pick them up!" the brunet boy protests. "You could've left them for someone else to take."

"These are expensive!" Leon sighs. "Plus, _I_ had to buy them since you used up your money on these." He holds up the box before handing it to Tifa, who retreats down the hall with it.

"Heh," Sora bashfully scratches his cheek, "I couldn't help it. I like those and it's been a while since I've had one."

"They don't sound like they taste great." Riku pulls a face, setting down his bag on a chair. "I mean, really. Sea-salt ice cream? Ick."

_Four teens-including Roxas-sit on a clock tower, each happily licking a blue ice cream bar..._

_A duck pulls a face. "Salty! No, wait..." His grimace doesn't last long, melting into a big grin as he declares, "Sweet!"_

Sora sticks out his tongue. "You'll eat those words once you've tried it."

Riku scoffs, locking Sora's head under his arm playfully. "Whatever!"

"Dinner's ready!" Tifa calls from the kitchen.

"Yes! I'm starving!" Sora breaks free and disappears down the hall. "It smells great, whatever it is!"

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Please review!


	12. Stakes

**EDITED 6/20/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading! Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its storylines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

I used to think Aden had a bottomless stomach—he could eat enough food to feed an army squadron in one sitting—but as I watch Sora shovel down food while barely pausing to gulp a few sips of his drink, I have to give Aden the honor of having the _second-biggest_ appetite known to man.

"Would you like more pasta, Imani?" Aerith asks.

I shake my head absentmindedly, my eyebrows nearly touching my hairline. "No thank you."

"Mmph ffmmh mm mm!" Sora reaches over to take my plate, his mouth _still_ overstuffed with his _and _Riku's _and _Leon's food.

"No way!" Riku quickly catches his arm. "You've eaten too much already!"

"What about your sea-salt ice cream?" Leon asks quietly.

Sora's eyes light up and he immediately swallows the food in his mouth. "Never mind! I'll save room for the ice cream."

My jaw drops. He still has room?

"I told you he had a black hole for a stomach, didn't I?" Riku shrugs, releasing Sora's arm.

* * *

_Demyx and Axel greet me when I sink into the darkness. _"_You have _shoes_ now. Things are getting _serious_.__" Axel smirks. _

_I roll my eyes but a faint grin tugs at my lips. "How long will I keep having these dreams with you guys in it?" _

_"Why? You don't like seeing us?" Axel wraps a lanky around around Demyx's shoulders and the two of them stick their lower lips out at me. "That hurts."_

_"You break our hearts, Maxiin," Demyx sniffs.  
_

_You don't _have _hearts. _

_"I'm just _wondering_," I sigh, keeping my original thought to myself.  
_

_Slipping off their fake pouts, the two Nobodies exchange an uncertain look. "As long as it takes, I guess," Axel answers after a beat, "which might be longer than we expected..."_

_"__Unless we steer her on the right path," Demyx tacks on with a shrug.  
_

_The redhead nods, his wild hair bouncing with his movements as he retracts his arm. "The Superior would certainly appreciate that."_

_Upon mention of Xemnas' title I remember the unanswered question I had for Demyx last night. "__Am I really going to become Xemnas' reincarnation?"  
_

_Axel freezes, slowly turning on the balls of his feet. "You told her that?" he growls at a wide-eyed, lip-nibbling Demyx._

_"__It slipped out?" he tries, shrugging with his hands up and causing the other to groan._

_"__What's going on?" I demand. "Tell me what Xemnas is planning. Tell me how he plans to return or get reincarnated or whatever."_

___"__Not yet. You are not ready to learn of the plan."_

_Axel and Demyx dart their eyes to somewhere behind me. __I follow their gaze to find the newcomer: a man with short, platinum blond hair, a goatee, piercings in each ear, and steely blue eyes. "What do you mean, Luxord?" I ask.  
_

_"__Your companions." His eyes narrow. "They are a bad influence on you."_

_A spark of irritation ignites with his blunt words and haughty tone, burning and suffocating me. I have to stuff down the urge to scoff at him. "__Sora and Riku and everyone else are trying to help me figure out this whole mess," I manage to say through gritted teeth, "which is more than any of you are doing."_

_He shakes his head and chuckles darkly. "__It was because of Sora and the others that this 'mess' ever happened," Luxord sneers, taking deliberate steps towards me. "Because they destroyed what we were working towards, your involvement became of the utmost importance."_

_"__My involvement?__" I hiss. "__He locked me up! I had to run away from under his nose in order to actually _become_ involved!"  
_

_"You think you ran away without the Superior knowing?" Luxord laughs throatily, the sound cutting into my eardrums like a blade. "He _let_ you escape that night so that you would become a Somebody and__ acquire the ability to change destiny."_

_Quickly I flip through memories to the night I escaped, focusing on Xemnas' point of view...and feeling my heart sink at the sight of his relaxed smirk.  
_

_Luxord's leather-gloved hand grabs my chin harshly and forces me to crane my neck up at him. "When you became a Somebody, you gained the ability to embrace light as well as darkness. The Superior knew that would happen, hence your name."_

_I shudder as Xemnas' voice whispers adoringly in my head: _"Kismet Scribe..."_  
_

_"He also knew that your becoming a Somebody would allow all your memories_—_including his plans_—_to become _dreadfully_ real upon recollection. This ability __will fuel your ambitions_—his_ ambitions, hence your ability to change destiny."_

_A shiver runs down my spine. That explains the sudden tears when I met Sora and the splash of water when I thought of the fight with Demyx.  
_

_"Unfortunately, Sora and his friends are causing your heart to fill up steadily with light. You cannot know of the plan in your condition."_

_"In my condition?" I finally speak up. "You make it sound as if I'm sick."_

_His grip on my chin eases up a bit. "A good way to put it. You _are_ sick, and you must do what you can to get better, which means fighting the light and allowing the darkness to consume your heart."_

_"And ending up like Riku?" I snap. "His struggle with the darkness _scarred _him."_

_With a final squeeze that jams my cheek gum into my teeth, he releases my chin and mutters calmly, "You are not Riku."_

_My fingernails dig into the palms of my gloves as I clench my fists, glaring at him as he saunters over to the silent Axel and Demyx. The skin he touched when he gripped my chin tingles uncomfortably. The _nerve_ of this guy...__  
_

_"What will you do, then?" He turns to me, producing a handful of cards with a flick of his wrist. "Will you surrender to the light and risk never knowing a way to stop Xemnas' plan? Will you embrace darkness and betray your new friends?"_

_He tosses the cards at me and they instantly grow ten times bigger, flipping and rotating in a circle around me. In the spaces between cards, I see Luxord open a dark passage._

"_I'd place my bets on the latter," he calls over his shoulder, "and I _never_ lose a bet."_

_Without another glance my way Luxord strides through the passage. Demyx hesitates, flicking his eyes my way. He reluctantly follows Luxord._

_Axel, however, turns to me fully, his thin lips forming a word. I squint my eyes at him. What did he say? Aa...uh..ll...  
_

_Just when I lean forward to get a better look, the cards rotating around me explode in my face. I leap back, clutching my racing heart as the shredded cards rain down and reveal several lanky figures in silvery-white suits with zippers covering their entire bodies. They wobble tipsily, their limbs undulating hypnotically. _

_Pressing my arms against my chest, I bite my lip, darting my eyes from one figure to the other warily. This is...different. What do I do? Can I beat them the same way I beat the Heartless?_

_Sora?  
_

_I duck to peer behind the figure in front of me. Axel isn't there. Sora should be here any moment...  
_

_"Im..."_

_I blink. Did I really hear that?_

_"Im...igh..."_

_What's going on? Why can't I hear Sora?_

_"Fi..."_

_Sor_—

_Something slams into my waist, throwing me to the side and sending me careening into the ground. My head throbs from the impact and I take a moment to regain myself. I inhale sharply, grasping at my hit side while shooting a glare at the wavy figures. _

_"FIGHT..."_

_I push myself back to my feet, swiping my arm and bringing out a keyblade. The figures slither and hover to me, their heads aiming for my knees and their limbs poised to strike. Right when the first of the figures comes within two feet of me, I swing.  
_

_"Ima...ni..."  
_

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Please review!


	13. Vivid

**EDITED 6/20/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Sora stuffs eggs into his frowning mouth. "I wuh twaheen t'cah aht to ooh lahs'nigh."

"Don't talk with food in your mouth," Riku mutters, rolling his eyes and propping his head up with his arm on the dining table.

"Ehboh s'ogh." Sora pushes Riku's arm off the edge of the table with his own elbow.

My nostrils flare out as I stifle a yawn and take a bite of my toast while trying to move my sore wrist as little as possible. Chew. Chew. I have to keep awake somehow. My eyelids won't stay up. Chew. Chew. Chew...

"Didn't sleep well last night?"

Sharp pain zings through my accidentally bitten tongue. "Y-Yeah," I murmur to Leon, squeezing my eyes shut against the pain. "I had to fight again."

"Who did you fight?"

"N...Nobodies."

"Could you hear me?" Sora asks after he swallows his food.

I shake my head and open my eyes. "I only heard bits and pieces."

"Did you meet anyone last night before you fought the Nobodies?" Riku asks.

Another yawn successfully stretches my mouth open. "Luxord, Axel, and Demyx," I answer. "I mostly talked with Luxord. He said my heart is filling up with light because I'm around all of you. I tried getting him to tell me Xemnas' plans, but he said I 'wasn't ready' because I need to have a heart full of darkness." My eyes sluggishly rest on Sora. "He blames you for causing all of this."

"How is it _my_ fault?" Sora demands, the plates and glasses on the table clinking lightly as he pounds a fist down.

"You destroyed Xemnas and Organization XIII," Leon reminds him. He leans back in his seat, crossing his arms and making the chair creak softly. "Xemnas wanted to pursue his ambitions no matter what so he had to create a way to work around his defeat. That's why Imani's here."

That wakes me up: my eyes widen and my heart skips a beat. I straighten in my seat, mulling over Leon's words. _If it wasn't for Sora, I would have never existed._

Only Aerith's light footsteps in the living room crack the heavy awkward silence. I find Sora, Riku, and Leon studying the table quietly with uncertainty when I glance up. Something in my gut tells me they're thinking the same thing I am and words spill from my mouth in an effort to distract them from the ambiguous subject: "Axel said something to me."

Blinking rapidly as if awakening from a trance, Sora glances at me. "What was it?"

I replay the memory of catching glimpses of red between the whizzing cards. Faint gusts of wind from the flipping cards ghost over my skin. Axel's blank green eyes stare at me intently as his lips move. _Ca...le...ca...stle..._

"I think he said 'castle,'" I murmur, my lips sinking into a frown, "but he didn't say which one."

Riku, seeming to have come around from his thoughts, rises from his seat and takes his empty plate around the partition separating the dining room and the kitchen. "Why don't we try the king's castle first?" he calls. "We can introduce him to Imani and see if he can help us."

"That sounds like a good idea," Sora decides, pushing his chair back as he gets up and follows Riku with his own plate. "It's been so long since we last saw everyone." He pokes his head around the partition, eyeing me uncertainly. "Is that okay, Imani?"

"Of course." I nod, sheepishly thanking Leon for taking my barely-touched plate with him.

After cleaning up and packing our things, all of us walk back to Merlin's study where the wizard appears to be absent. "He's off researching somewhere," Yuffie shrugs, shutting the door behind us. "What's up?"

"We're heading out," Sora reports. "Thanks for everything and tell Tifa and Merlin we said goodbye. If you see Cloud, let him know what's up."

"If you need anything, you know where we are," Leon tells us as Cid grumbles a "Don't get yourselves killed" and Yuffie salutes with a "Roger!" to Sora's last-minute instructions.

My heart drops slightly as I sigh. So soon after making these friends do I find myself leaving them. I have to leave this _warmth_.

"I suppose this is goodbye until we meet again." Aerith gently pulls me into one last hug. "Come back anytime you need to."

I breathe deeply, the scent of flowers bringing a calming effect on the sudden sadness weighing down my body. Lifting my arms wrap to around her tightly has become a task in itself. "Thank you. You've been incredibly kind to me." I step away sluggishly to look at Leon, Yuffie, and Cid. "I hope I can repay all of you someday."

"It's nothing," the scarred brunet answers for them. "Just don't let us down."

One final smile, one final nod, one final hand squeeze, and one final look. Then, we set off, stepping into the pool of light with our next destination in mind.

My body begins to feel that tingling faux-disintegrating sensation and the study morphs and dissolves into itself. Before I know it, Aerith and the others are gone and the three of us are standing in a room with tall shelves filled with books, a bare fireplace, a desk, some paintings of a mouse dressed in elaborate garb, and an enchanted broom walking around with a pail of water in each hand.

"Maybe King Mickey is in the audience chamber," Sora says, heading for the door. He leads the way and I immediately note how cooler the airy hallway is compared to the warm rooms in Hollow Bastion. An intricately carved wall lines one side while a banister connected to a series of pillars with gold adornments runs down the other side. The scent of freshly-cut grass tickles my nose—

I freeze. Dark, bug-like creatures rise from the red rug before me, bobbing back and forth on their short legs. Their yellow stares glue my feet to the floor and paralyze my limbs and lungs. Sucking, swirling, vacuuming noises flood my ears._  
_

"Imani?"

A warm hand claps my shoulder and I nearly jump out of my skin. Riku looks down at me confusedly, arching an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?" he asks.

Why is he so calm? "D-Don't you see them?" I stutter breathlessly, whipping my head back to hallway before me "T-There are Heartle..."

The creatures are gone. They're _gone._

I exhale sharply in disbelief, my limbs instantly relaxing and my ears ringing. It happened again, didn't it?

"You okay?" Riku asks slowly.

"Y-Yeah." I nod, quirking a corner of my lips at him quickly before continuing down the hall. "I'm fine."

Sora stands before a huge pair of double-doors, tapping his foot. "Come on, you slowpokes!" He waves a hand to us. "_This way!_"

An enormous rift in the space between us explodes and a huge red and purple bulky _thing_ emerges, its head rolling back into its body and one of its bottom spikes levitating inches from my face. A shriek rips my throat as I stumble back and bring my arms up to shield me—

"Imani!"

I bump into someone's chest behind me and two hands take hold of my shoulders. "Imani, what's _wrong?_" Riku sighs impatiently. "What are you doing?"

"It's right there!" I protest, slapping my hands over my face. "The Heartless! It's right _there!_ Don't you _see _it?"

"There's nothing here." His hands grip my wrists and pull them away. "Look."

Just as he says, the monster is nowhere in sight. Only a wide-eyed Sora stands before me.

I breathe out shakily, letting my arms fall to my sides and leaning back into Riku. I hate this. I _hate_ this.

"You're not fine," Riku concludes, his chest rising and falling with another sigh.

"Are you okay?" Sora rushes up to me, bending down to look me in the eye. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," I croak weakly, pressing fingertips to my temples and shaking my head gently. "I just...I remembered something a little too clearly."

Sora furrows his brow and lets his eyes flit around, unsure of what to do. "You sure you're okay?"

I nod. "I'm fine."

"O...Okay..."

I step around him and push open the bottom corner of one of the doors. "Your friends will be happy to see you," I say with a halfhearted smile.

The door-in-the-door opens to reveal a huge room with a throne sitting at the end of a long dark red runway. After exchanging a worried glance with the silver-haired boy, Sora darts in followed by Riku (who has to duck his head) and me. "Donald! Goofy!" the brunet shouts, running full-speed to the other end of the room.

"Sora? Sora!" a few voices cry in shock. From my end of the runway I spot a white duck clad in blue and a tall dog in green charge towards Sora, toppling him over in a huge group hug.

"Riku! You're here too!" another voice belonging to a short mouse exclaims. The mouse meets Riku midway and leaps into his arms joyfully.

Slowly my heart calms down and I smile softly at the reunion. I wrap my arms around myself and watch as they ask each other dozens of questions at once and reel at how _long_ it's been since the last time they saw each other (which, really, wasn't too long) and turn over their shoulders to look at me and—

"Imani!" Sora calls from way across the room. "Get over here!"

Ah, I've been caught. Laughing quietly to myself, I begin jogging over to the pile of people...

I blink. The king is running towards me.

"Imani!" He launches himself at me head-on and I manage to catch him at the last second but the force of the impact sends me falling backwards clumsily. "You're back! You're okay!"

My jaw drops as I dumbly hug him back, stifling grunts of pain from my fall. "Y-You...remember me, Your Majesty?"

"Of course!" The king leans away to smile widely at me. "I rescued you, silly!"

"S-So you know about me already?" I ask. "That I..."

"That you were a Nobody?" he provides kindly. "I do. You were created by Xemnas as a safeguard against Sora."

"You know?" Sora cries, kneeling down and gaping at His Majesty. "Why didn't you ever tell us about Imani?"

"I was more worried about Xemnas and Organization XIII at the time. It was urgent that we defeat him and save Kingdom Hearts," he explains.

"Did you two know about Imani, too?" Sora asks Donald and Goofy as they join us on the floor.

"The king told us about her after we returned home," Goofy says, "but this is our first time meeting her!"

"Can you help us, then?" Riku also kneels. "We're trying to find a way to prevent Xemnas from returning, but we don't know what his plans are."

"Is that why you're all here?" Donald quacks.

Sora and Riku make themselves comfortable as we recount the events of the past two days. After we've finished, the king says, "Things have been normal here so maybe you're supposed to be at a different castle...but it's a good thing you three came here. We'd be glad to help, wouldn't we, fellas?"

"Yup!" Goofy agrees and Donald nods enthusiastically.

"Great!" Sora shouts, leaping to his feet. "It'll be just like old times!"

I smile gratefully. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

"Aw, gosh." A giggle bubbles in my chest as I watch the king, Donald, and Goofy take a moment to turn away bashfully. "I'll let Queen Minnie know what's going on," His Majesty says. "Donald, Goofy, gather whatever we'll need and we'll all meet in the library in ten minutes. Got it?"

I timidly raise a hand to my forehead in a salute along with everyone else before Donald, Goofy, and the king hurry out of the chamber.

"We might as well go wait in the library," Riku says, hoisting himself up and offering a hand to me. "Think you'll be okay with that?"

"We'll be walking right next to you to snap you out of it if it happens again," Sora adds as I accept Riku's hand and pull myself up. "That's probably all we can do for now until we figure out a way to prevent it from happening."

I breathe deeply, allowing a small smile to curve my lips. "Thanks. I'll be fine."

They both study me closely—suspiciously—before nodding. "In that case..." Sora smirks and dashes away. "Race you two to the door!"

"Jeez, again?" Riku groans, but soon he sprints off, shouting over his shoulder, "_I'm_ not gonna be the last one!"

It might be the knowledge of having powerful allies like the king and his friends so eager to help me. It might be the knowledge that I'm being accepted despite what I am. For some reason, my heart feels light as I hurry to catch up. "Wait for me!"

"You gotta lot of catching up to d—Hey!"

"Ooh, what now, Sora?"

"Oh no you don't! You're not winning this time!"

My lips curl back to release a pent-up laugh...but I start to slow. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Sticky unease gathers in my stomach. The little smile I'd put on sinks into a frown. Something suddenly doesn't feel right.

_Ignore it, _I command myself, forcing my feet to keep running. _It's just another false alarm. It's fine._

I focus on Sora and Riku ahead at the door, their arms akimbo and shoulders rising sporadically as they catch their breaths. Riku smirks haughtily at Sora and Sora sticks out his tongue at Riku. As I near, both boys turn to me...and the playful glint in their eyes vanishes.

"Imani!" Riku yells, dashing towards me. "Watch out!"

I narrow my eyes. What's wro—?

My heart leaps into my throat. Cold slithers around my ankle and _yanks_, pulling me into what feels like chilly thick liquid.

"Imani!" Sora shouts, close behind Riku.

I scream, reaching out to Riku's extended hand desperately, his wide jade eyes burned into my mind as I sink completely.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** Please review! Thanks for reading!


	14. Existence

**EDITED 6/21/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_"__Wrong castle, Maxiin."_

_I stir at the voice, prying open my eyes and pushing myself off the ground. I almost question whether my eyes are open at all until I spot a figure standing before me_ —_a man whose periwinkle bangs (or more than his bangs?) cover half his face and whose dark trench coat appears similar to those of my previous dream-visitors._

_The first words that come out when I open my mouth are "'__Don't I even warrant a hello?'"*  
_

_His deep blue eye hardens. "It appears your recent retrieval of your extensive memory has made you _arrogant_."_

_A pang of guilt streaks my conscience. "It slipped out. I'm sorry," I sigh, reaching up to cradle one side of my head. "It's been happening a lot, if you haven't noticed."_

_"I have, and it is to be expected from of you."  
_

_I have to assume that's his way of accepting my apology. "__Axel didn't say _which_ castle to go to, and even if he did, I couldn't catch it because of those dumb cards Luxord threw at me."_

_"__I will give you that. Still, your mistake generated trouble for us. All of Luxord's efforts to spur you on were nearly wasted."_

_"__I suppose you're talking about my heart being filled with light and darkness, aren't you? If that's the case, meeting the king and Donald and Goofy and getting their help filled my heart with light."_

_"__Correct." _

_I nod slowly, bringing myself to my feet. That explains why my heart felt so weightless after I met them. "__That also means Luxord's talk with me last time was meant to plant darkness in my heart, then." I arch an eyebrow at the man. "And I suppose that worked?"_

_"__Of course it did," he says. "Your communication with Sora when you battled the Nobodies was choppy, wasn't it?"_

_My eyes narrow. "You know that Sora's talking to me when I'm fighting?"_

_"__Why wouldn't we? We're in your memory, aren't we? Whatever is recorded by your mind is accessible by us."_

_"__Why doesn't Sora see the parts when you guys are talking to me? Why does he always appear _after _you've left?"_

_"__Because our connections with you are deeper than his." He brings a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "You were birthed as a Nobody, so you're naturally of nothingness_—_you lacked light and darkness__. We Organization members are of nothingness. This composition similarity we have deepens our connections with your memory and your heart."_

_"But Sora reunited with Roxas and he was a Nobody," I reason, "and Sora became a Heartless in order to seal the Keyhole. Wouldn't he still be able to connect with me well?"_

_"He isn't dwelling in your memories. We are."  
_

_My head reels with the information he's telling me and questions fire from my mouth one after the other. "If you have greater access to me, wouldn't that mean it's easier for you to influence my heart?"_

_"__A logical assumption, isn't it?" He sighs. "Unfortunately, you're a Somebody now, meaning you have an equal capability of having your heart consumed with light as well as darkness. You are now constantly surrounded by Sora and the others. It's really only times like these when we Organization members have any personal interaction with you."_

_I mull over his words. They can only communicate with me in my dreams? That means the only time they can threaten my heart is when I'm asleep. If I stay awake, I won't have to face them..._and_ I won't have to fight any Heartless or Nobodies. That kills two birds with one stone...but I can't stay awake all day. I have to sleep otherwise I won't be able to keep up with everyone when I'm awake._

_"If I can keep myself surrounded by Sora and Riku and the others, the light in my heart can counter the darkness you guys try to plant in me," I contemplate aloud, crossing my arms and furrowing my brow.  
_

_"__Should you really want that? That would make it harder for you to discover what the Superior's plan is, which in turn would cause you to virtually run around on a wild goose chase while the plan proceeds without your knowledge."_

_A bullet shoots through my thought stream. That's right.  
_

_"__Also, I didn't say we are the only ones who can plant darkness in you," he continues, "or that your dreams are the only times darkness has the chance to strike."_

_Several more bullets puncture deeply, but the finishing shot propels my mind back to the reason I'm unconscious in the first place. "You mean the thing that dragged me down_—_"_

_"_—_was an agent of darkness," he finishes for me. "A Heartless, to be precise, which, obviously, has the ability to influence you in our favor. I'm sure you remember that stab to your back you received the first time you actually fought the Heartless and how that allowed a degree of your true self to surface."_

___"__M-My _true _self?" I stutter.  
_

_"The guarded, calculating, _self-centered Nobody _you are." He smirks. "__You're not _really _a Somebody, after all. You're a Nobody with a__ provisional_ _heart. You know that." _

_The breath in my lungs whooshes out as I feel his declaration pummel me in the gut several times. __Visions of sneering classmates cornering me in the halls flash before my eyes, their laughter echoing in my head. The cold metal of the lockers presses against my back and my hand curls into a fist, fruitlessly trying to stop shaking. _"You're so invisible it's hard to remember you exist,"_ they taunt. _"You're _nobody_."

_My heart _aches.

"IMANI!"

_The crowd separates as Aden pushes through to me, standing before me with his arms spread to either side of him. _"What the hell is wrong with you people?"_ he demands. _"Leave her alone! She's done nothing to you!"

"Because she _is_ nothing," _they fire back. _"She's _nothing_ like us. She's a walking _doll_ that can't talk or show emotions."

"She's more of a person than any of you are! She is my sister!" _Aden roars. _"IMANI BRISCE IS MY SISTER!"

_"Maxiin."_

_The lockers disappear. The crowd vanishes. Aden's gone. Only the man in the coat stands in front of me. _

_I draw in a shaky breath, ignoring the burning sensation building in my throat and peering at him through tear-blinded eyes. "I may have only been given this heart to fulfill some foreseen purpose that was dumped on me," I mutter, my voice wavering but my volume increasing. "Fine...but I _am_. I _am_, which is more than any of you can say. __None of you _exist _anymore!" I let out in a scream._

_The man barely responds to my outburst. Warm tears roll from my eyes, clearing my vision and allowing me to pick out the new unreadable edge in his dark eye and the slight downturn of his lips.__ "Yet again, you are correct," he murmurs calmly, "which is why we are extremely dependent on you to gather your wits together and bring the Superior's plan to life. Even if the Organization cannot do anything at the moment, the agents of darkness that do exist will do whatever it takes to consume you."_

_I swallow in an attempt to bring relief to my aching throat. "How did you get the Heartless to come after me?" I ask, sniffling and hurriedly wiping away the tears from my face.  
_

_"We didn't do anything. _You _attracted them. Heartless go after those with hearts, more so those with light in their hearts." He steps towards me, speaking authoritatively. "As you had iterated earlier, your heart was filled with light because of your friends. To top it off, your heart has a stronger magnetism for Heartless simply because of what you are_—_the Kismet Scribe. If your heart had been filled with darkness, on the other hand, you would've been fine."_

_My lungs expand pleasantly with a deep, tired sigh. Yet another light versus darkness condition to keep in mind.  
_

_"__So," he comes to a stop and peers down at me, "it is to your benefit that you allow the darkness to consume your heart. You'll avoid all the trouble of fighting off the Heartless along with the risk of receiving injuries worse than that of your first Heartless battle and having your Nobody persona resurface and you'll be able to reacquaint yourself with the Superior's plan.__Of course, I'm sure your Nobody will surface no matter what, but it's certainly less painful this way."_

_My teeth sit atop each other and I draw my lips back. "Z..."  
_

_"You see what I mean, don't you? In case you don't," he turns, raising his hand and ripping a void into the space, "you'll find something convincing when you wake up."_

_"Z-Zexion..." I trail off, watching him walk into the void.  
_

_"Axel meant the Beast's castle, by the way," he tells me over his shoulder right before disappearing completely, "but you won't need to worry about getting there."_

* * *

I blinked at his departure and suddenly the darkness isn't so dark anymore. Instead, I find myself standing in a spacious starlit room . Windows make up an entire wall and pillars stand on each side of the room. I crane my head back to see a domed roof painted with angels and clouds as well as a large unlit chandelier suspended above me. When I bring my head down again, I see polished flooring below me.

A ballroom, I conclude. A castle ballroom. An empty castle ballroom...A Sora-less, Riku-less, king-less, Donald-less, Goofy-less ballroom.

A groan rumbles in my throat and my shoulders sag. How am I supposed to find everyone? They could be _anywhere_. Why did Zexion send me here? What makes this castle the "right" one?

With a sigh, I begin to walk to the exit. There should be a light portal thing nearby—

Blue haze blows up midair and a dark, muscular, winged, spiked, horned monster spins into being, his arms whipping out to either side of him and his yellow narrowed eyes glaring at me. With a startled cry I stumble back, watching in horror as it flexes the wrist holding a long flame-colored blade and swings its sharp pendulum-like tail. As I back up, the monster levitates closer.

I curse under my breath. Well, the ballroom certainly isn't _Heartless-less_.

Another step back and the monster charges, swinging his sword at me. I leap out of the way, running as fast as my legs will carry me around it to the double-doors—

"Aah!" The heels of my feet skid against the floor as I halt abruptly and run in the opposite direction, away from the monster that suddenly zoomed in my face. Again and again I run and skid and run away and skid and run away again, weaving between pillars and dashing across the floor. Pain quickly builds up in my side and in my legs.

Slamming my back against a pillar to avoid the orbs of energy the monster whipped up, I gasp for air desperately. There's no way around it—I have to _fight_ the monster.

I swipe my arm across my chest...but nothing happens.

My heart drops. "What?" I swipe again, but no metal materializes within my grasp. It's not working! Why isn't it working?

A flash of orange in the corner of my eye and I dive away right before the monster's blade crashes into the pillar I was hiding behind. The marble explodes and crumbles just like the other pillars the monster destroyed while chasing after me.

Sweat makes my clothes stick to my body uncomfortably but I keep running, swiping my arm frantically and shrieking in my head, _No way this isn't happening this is _not _happening why won't it work why can't I call it?_

I glance over my shoulder just in time to see the monster disappearing into thin air, tossing up his blade. The bright sword rockets straight for my back. I jump at the last second and the blade zooms beneath my feet and passes me, turning around to rocket at me again.

I dodge too late. The blade cuts into my side as it passes by, forcing a cry of pain from me and making me stumble over my feet. I can't gather wits quickly enough before another slice cuts into my other side and another and another.

Finally the blade spins on its hilt and the monster appears in a burst black light, catching the blade—

_No!_ something in my mind shouts. My feet pelt the ground as I dash _to_ the monster. _I can't miss this moment! I have to attack it!_

The monster brings the blade back and moves to strike the ground with its full weight—

My arms thrust down along my hurting sides. Warm metal meets my fingers and brushes the undersides of my arms for a split-second before I skid to a halt, lean forward, and hurl the objects in my hands one after the other at the monster, my arms swinging across my chest powerfully.

The desecrated ballroom glows in the light of the flames.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Zexion! Heh, another of my favorite characters makes an appearance.

"Brisce" is "scribe" scrambled up, in case you didn't catch it. I've noticed that Aden is becoming much more prominent in this story than I first wrote him...What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinions in reviews! Thanks for reading!


	15. Warmth

**EDITED 6/21/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

I gape at my arms as they immediately reach out to snatch the circular, spiky, warm things I threw at the monster. How the heck did I end up getting _these?_ Don't these belong to someone?

_"A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"_

My jaw drops further. But he's...How..._Huh?  
_

The monster's incoming blade snaps me out of my daze and I jump back, shivering at the whoosh of air hitting my face.

My beating heart relaxes as my limbs start to move on their own. With slightly startled eyes I watch as my body leaps and throws the things in my hands (_chakram, _a voice in my head provides) at the monster, catching them again only to throw them or use them to parry the blade the next second. Upon my command the tips of the spikes ignite and sear the dark body.

I have to wonder if I'm being controlled by puppet strings—how else could I possibly wield _chakram_ well enough to make the monster dissipate into smoke in less than a minute? I didn't know chakram _existed_ until I found myself _throwing _it.

I hold my breath for a minute, staring at the space the monster used to be in warily. After it doesn't reappear, I sigh in relief, my knees buckling below me as I collapse onto the dusty, rubble-covered floor. My labored breathing interrupts the silence as I let go of one chakram to hold the other out above me with both hands and studying the light metal in the dim starlight from the windows. The angels peeking from the painted clouds look down at me curiously between the bars almost as if to ask, _What just happened?_

I shrug. _I have no freaking idea. _With another sigh I rest the chakram on my stomach and let the warmth sink into my sweaty clothes, gazing around the room. _I can say that I wasn't hallucinating, though. The blown-up pillars are proof of that.  
_

"Master, there's a girl in here!"

I bolt upright, the chakram clattering to the floor between my legs before fading into black wispy smoke. Two men, one lanky and one heavy-set, stand at the door in shock. "W-What on earth happened here?" the aghast heavy-set man cries, a hand over his heart.

I think of a candelabra and a clock when I see them. I'm not sure why._  
_

"Mademoiselle," the lanky man steps forward hesitantly, waving a hand around, "did _you_ do this?"

Like lightning, the realization hits me: I just ruined _someone else's_ ballroom...someone who owns a _castle..._and possibly an _army._

"I am so sorry!" I clap a hand to my mouth, wishing for a moment I really _was_ hallucinating. "I...Oh my gosh..."

"Who _are_ you, anyway?" The man's stomach jiggles as he stomps over to me with his hand on his hips.

"I-I uh," I stutter, "I-Ima—"

"Get on with it girl!" I cringe at him impatient cry.

"Now, now, Cogsworth. You're making her nervous!"

"She _should_ be nervous! She destroyed the ballroom!"

"Come now, you really think a tiny girl like her is capable of such a thing?"

"Just _look_ at her! It's written all over her face!"

"Lumiere! Cogsworth! Who is it?"

The two men halt their bickering to step aside for a younger man with his light-colored hair tied back. His pale blue eyes scan the ballroom in utter shock before they land on me. "Who did you say you were?" he asks.

"I-Imani," I answer, rising to my feet quickly bowing my head, "Your Highness."

He remains silent for a moment before asking uncertainly, "You don't appear to be from here, yet you know I am a prince?"

I gulp. There's no way he's going to believe me. "W-Well...I-I—"

"Will you _stop _with the stuttering, girl?"

"Cogsworth!"

"We have visitors!"

I force my eyes up from the floor at the new voice. A girl wearing a blue and white dress rushes into the room, followed by—

"Imani!"

My heart soars as Sora runs up to me, jumping over blocks of the pillars strewn on the floor. "Are you okay?" he cries as he looks me over. "You're okay, right? You _look _okay, at least. What happened here?"

"Sora, you're asking too many questions," another voice admonishes. I feel like flying when Riku steps from behind Sora.

"We were really worried about you," Sora tells me. "We didn't know where you'd gone off to..."

A sob escapes my lips and my throat grows painfully tight. I smile widely and pull Sora into a tight hug. "I'm so glad to see you two," I mumble into his shirt, pulling away to hug Riku. "You have _no _idea..."

"What's going on, Sora?" the girl's voice asks.

As Sora turns to talk to the group of people, I pull away from Riku and breathe in deeply, holding my head in my hands. Riku chuckles, resting his hands on my shoulders. "We're here now. It's okay."

I can only nod, my smile threatening to rip apart my face.

"Care to tell me why you smell like soot?"

* * *

Sora and Riku exchange a look after I've finished relaying my dream and the fight in the ballroom. "Wow. We missed a lot," Sora comments with a frown.

"Where are the king and Donald and Goofy?" I ask, wrapping the blanket the girl Belle gave me for the night and snuggling further into the plush armchair.

"They're at another castle looking for you. We figured splitting up would save time," Riku says. "We're going to meet up in Twilight Town."

I sigh with a grimace. "Sorry for making you run all over the place just to keep tabs on me."

The silver-haired boy shrugs. "It's not your fault. It's Sora's, according to Luxord."

"_No_ it's...ugh." Sora crosses his arms and pouts, glaring at the crackling fire. "Whatever."

A small smile tugs my lips at his reaction. "You were saving your friends and saving the worlds. You don't regret it, right? As long as you don't, it's fine."

"Nope." Instantly his pout becomes a smile and he straightens up in his seat. "I saved Kairi and Riku and the worlds _and_ I got to meet _you_." He looks at me happily. "I don't regret anything."

Warmth spreads in my chest. It reminds me of Hollow Bastion...and Aden.

"Do you regret running away from the Organization?" Riku asks quietly and props his head up with his elbow on the armrest of his chair, his eyes piercing mine. "Just wondering."

Do I regret running away, meeting Roxas, being sent to a completely different universe, growing close to Aden only to be ripped apart from him overnight, dreaming about being alone in the dark and surrounded by yellow orbs, having my head overflow with things I didn't know I knew, and getting thrown into this adventure with strangers I seem to know everything about? Do I regret it?

The warmth intensifies. My smile widens as I look at the boys and confidently tell them, "No. I don't think I do."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Please review! Thanks for reading!


	16. Trust

**EDITED 6/21/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far! I know I keep saying this, but I really do appreciate it, especially since I'm re-editing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_"__You handled them like a _natural_, Maxiin," Axel's suave voice echoes almost as soon as I slip into slumber, "as expected."_

_I relax a little when I hear him. I'd rather not deal with someone reminding_—threatening—_me to give into the darkness__. "How did that happen? I didn't know it was possible to call other weapons besides the keyblade. How was I able to_—_"_

_"__Because," the redhead saunters into my line of vision, "of me."_

_My jaw drops slightly. "__Huh?"_

_"_I_ know how to use them," he points to himself, "and _you've _seen _me _use them." He points to me then back to him. "You had it all memorized. Literally."_

_"I knew how to use your chakram because...well, just _because?_"_

_"__Bingo. Zexion calls it 'manipulating memory.'"_

_The tension in my brain from all the unanswered questions pressing down on my conscience lifts off slowly. Master Yen Sid did say that my memory was my weapon. "Does that mean I can use anyone's weapons anytime I want?"  
_

_"__Anyone from the Organization?" He gives half a shrug. "Pretty much."_

_"__Like...Demyx's sitar?"_

_"__He might get antsy, but yeah."_

_"__Or Luxord's cards?"_

_"__Yes, Maxiin."_

_"__Or_—_"_

_"_Yes,_ you can. Jeez."  
_

_"__If you use mine," another voice_—_Demyx's_—_says, "just don't scratch it, okay?"_

_"__Demyx," I sigh melodramatically, "don't you trust me?"_

_"Someone's in a good mood," Demyx notes, his arm slithering around my shoulder. He smiles down at me. "I kinda like it."_

_Before I can answer, a figure steps out from the darkness a few feet away from Axel: one with periwinkle bangs and a blank expression. __"__Zexion!" Demyx waves._

_I bite my tongue to keep myself from groaning aloud. The reminders are inevitable, it seems.  
_

_"__Demyx. Axel." Zexion nods to each man. "Maxiin__, you fared well against that Heartless," he remarks to me. "Your quick thinking and ability to adapt proved to be instrumental."_

_I can't hold back the scoff and I pull away from Demyx to stomp up to Zexion. "Quick thinking? Ability to adapt? I nearly _died _because of you."_

_He brushes a bang away. "Because of the Heartless, you mean."_

_"__No, because of _you_," I hiss. "You saw what happened. You saw how close that monster got to killing me."  
_

_"__But it didn't, and perhaps you learned your lesson.__"  
_

_"__What was that supposed to _teach_ me?__"_

_"__Siding with darkness is the best way to go about this journey of yours."_

_"__Are you kidding me? __Cogsworth kept yelling at me afterwards and that thing turned the beautiful ballroom into a rubble bath!"_

_The two Nobodies I'm not glaring at snort. "Uh..._Rubble bath?_" Axel snickers. "__Really?"  
_

_Zexion smirks, his shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter of his own. "That isn't my problem, Maxiin. What matters is that you showed you are perfectly capable of calling and fighting efficiently with Organization members' weapons. __That's all the more proof that your connections to darkness run deeper than anything."_

_My heart stills for a moment. When he puts it that way...  
_

_He places a hand under his chin. "It appears that Heartless didn't convince you enough, judging by the way you answered Riku's question. Something needs to be done about that."_

_My shoulders slump and all the steam from my argument seeps away from my skin. Great. The good mood I was in when I was with Sora and Riku earlier is completely gone. No more warmth.  
_

_The three of them turn to leave through a void that Axel had opened. "You'll realize what's best soon enough," Zexion calls over his shoulder before disappearing first._

_Demyx waves before following him. "Hurry up, though! We can't wait!"  
_

_Axel lingers a little longer. "If you're wondering what to do next, you'll want to avoid Twilight Town and head to Traverse Town instead. And I don't mean going to Traverse Town _after _Twilight Town."_

_I sigh. Aden, what do I do now?  
_

* * *

"I say we stick to meeting with the king and the others in Twilight Town." Riku crosses his arms. "Axel probably told you that to steer us off track. He led you here to bring you to the Heartless, didn't he?"

I nod, my heart sinking. I kind of started to like him for a little bit...

_He really is a J-E-R-K. _

Sora frowns. "Axel's helped us out in the past, though."

"That was only because he wanted to see Roxas, right? He always seems to go by his own agenda. Right now, it's in his best interest to get Imani's heart filled with darkness, and Imani said earlier that the Nobodies' connections with her are deeper than the ones we have. We should do what we can to keep her heart filled with light."

"Y-Yeah, I guess so...But Imani said that the Organization members wouldn't reveal Xemnas' plan unless she had enough darkness in her heart, too."

Riku groans. "That's the thing, isn't it?"

"Imani?" Sora turns to me. "What do _you _think we should do?"

I bite my lip, glancing nervously at the two boys. "Well," I begin hesitantly, "in a sense, we're working against time, so it'd be best if we find out Xemnas' plan as soon as possible. If that means going along with Organization XIII—"

"Imani."

There it is. The gunshot firing off to signal the start of a heated argument. I hate hearing it and I hate when I find myself facing off against someone else. My stomach churns and my throat starts to ache...but instead of shying away and huddling into a dark corner like I've done before, I force myself to straighten in my seat and stare the the two boys directly in the eye.

"Hear me out," I plead. "At this point, if we want to get anywhere, completely siding with either light or darkness won't work. I won't completely give in to darkness but I won't completely give in to light, either. I'll...I'll _balance_ the two until we can find out what Xemnas is planning and from there we can—"

"_Imani,_" Riku repeats sternly. "You don't know what you're saying."

I wince inwardly at my flinch from Riku's words. I can't back down. "As long as you two keep me in check so that I don't go too overboard, I'm sure I can handle it. You said you'd do that anyway, didn't you?"

"Imani, I don't know." Sora shakes his head, averting his eyes. "I mean, it's kind of different when you're choosing to accept the darkness on _purpose_. What if something bad happens?"

Don't back down. Don't back down. "But how else are we going to fix this?"

"Imani, I don't want you going through the same thing I did," Riku growls. "You can lose yourself in the darkness—"

"I know, but—"

"No, _listen _to me. We don't know if we'll be able to rescue you. You're capable of harboring much more darkness than either of us because of what you are. You could overpower us—"

"I wouldn't consider this option if I didn't think you two would be able to save me from myself," I blurt.

Riku freezes and Sora stares at me wide-eyed. "Imani..."

"I _trust _you two," I whisper, commanding my nerves to calm down as I pour out my heart to the boys. "You've _both _got pure hearts. That's all you've ever needed to conquer darkness, no matter how daunting or ominous it appeared." I tap my temple with a finger. "I'm...I'm your best witness, right?"

"Imani—"

"I need you two to trust me. There is so much that I'm still trying to figure out but I _know _that as long as you two trust in me, everything will be resolved for the better."

_No matter what outcome that implies, _I add to myself.

Their shoulders heave with heavy sighs. Sora runs a hand through his spikes. "Imani..." he trails off.

There. I've said my piece. I've asked for more than I should from them...but my quivering heart feels warm. Certain.

"Please trust me," I beg one last time, holding my breath.

Jade and blue meet for several long moments, various emotions flickering in and out between them. My stomach does flips when Sora finally smiles at me. "Alright."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** Please review! Thanks for reading!


	17. Play

**EDITED 6/21/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Everything about Traverse Town still looks the same—an eternal night sky, buildings of various designs, and townspeople strolling around. "Why would Axel tell us to come here?" Sora asks, his hands folding behind his head. "It doesn't look like anything's wrong."

"Maybe there's someone we're supposed to meet," I wonder, watching a pair of dalmatians round the corner and feeling the hairs on my arms rise with the cool breeze.

"Or _something_," Riku mutters grimly, "like a Heartless. We should ask around."

"Pinocchio and Geppetto might be able to help." Sora leads us to a building with a green door, knocking on it twice.

"Yes?" A man with white hair and spectacles answers, a small mallet in hand. His eyes light up in recognition. "Sora!"

"Hey Geppetto." Sora smiles. "Long time no see."

"You've grown quite a bit, haven't you?" the man laughs, placing his hands on his hips. "I think you're taller than me now!"

"Is that Sora?" A dark-haired boy sneaks in between Geppetto and the door to take a look.

"Pinocchio!" Sora grins. "You're a real boy now!"

The boy squeezes past the man excitedly, leaping into his arms. "Sora! It _is_ you!"

"What brings you back to Traverse Town?" Geppetto asks, his blue eyes spotting us behind Sora's hunched-over figure. "And might I ask who these two friends of yours are?"

Without breaking his hug with Pinocchio, Sora steps to the side so the man can see us better. "This is Riku and Imani. We were told to come here, but we're not sure why. We were wondering if anything strange has been going on here."

Their eyes widen and their smiles fall clean off their faces. "W-Who was it that told you to come here?" Geppetto whispers.

"Uh..." Sora glances at me uncertainly.

"A...A friend," I answer for him, earning me an uneasy look from both Sora and Riku.

"I see," the man murmurs. With a sigh, he steps aside, pulling the dazed child with him. "You should come inside."

The sticky weight in my stomach returns as the three of us exchange a concerned glance before entering the building. Geppetto shuts the door and bids the boy to go upstairs (which he does reluctantly). "What's going on?" Sora asks once Pinocchio shuts the door.

The man shoots a glance up the stairs before muttering, "You're right about something strange going on here. It began a few days ago when one of the puppets I was working on went missing."

"Missing?" Riku repeats.

He nods. "I've searched my entire shop, but it isn't anywhere. I've also asked everyone in the town, but no one knows where it went. None of the children in the town stole it, either, according to Pinocchio...and that's not all." The creases in his wrinkled forehead deepen. "Around the same time my puppet disappeared, the plaza in the third district began giving off an odd aura. It almost feels like a distinct _chill_ in the air. No one dares to enter that plaza anymore. The aura is similar to that of the Heartless, but it seems much stronger."

My stomach lurches and my heart drops. "Heartless?" we cry.

He slams his pointer finger to his puckered lips and shushes us. "Yes! To top it off, when I asked Pongo and Perdita to try sniffing out my missing puppet, we found ourselves about to enter the plaza."

Riku crosses his arms. "Maybe the disappearance of your puppet and the sudden strong aura in the plaza are related..."

"They _have_ to be related!" Sora shouts, quickly quieting when Geppetto shushes him again. "Even if they aren't, we have to do something about it. There are still people who live in that district, aren't there? We need to protect them."

I nod in agreement. This could be why Axel told me to come here...but I don't think he shares the same desire to protect the town.

"Thank you, Sora." Geppetto's gaze softens a little. "It would mean a lot to Traverse Town."

"Let's go, guys." With one final wave, Sora heads out the door, leaving Riku and me in his dust.

"We'll do our best," I tell Geppetto before joining Riku and jogging after the enthusiastic Sora.

Only a few streetlamps and the neon lights from the buildings bring light to the districts as we pass through. The further into the town we go, the less people we come across and the chillier the air becomes. "You doing okay?" Riku asks suddenly. "You're not remembering anything?"

I nod. "Nothing yet."

We slow to a stop when we meet up with Sora right outside the plaza. "Can you feel that?" he murmurs, bringing out a keyblade with a swing of his arm.

Riku does the same, muttering darkly, "Yeah, and I don't like it. Stay close, Imani."

The moment we walk in, a shiver runs down my spine and my skin breaks out in a cold sweat. The stickiness in my stomach thickens. Something certainly doesn't feel right about this place.

"Let's take a look around," Sora proposes, dashing off again to a far corner of the plaza while Riku takes a different corner. "Yell if you find anything."

The space around me suddenly feels empty without the boys directly nearby. I stand in my spot for a moment before reluctantly stepping to the corner opposite Sora's, wrapping my arms around me. There's not much to look at. The plaza's just a giant walled-in space of tiled flo...

I spot something—a tiny heap lying in a strip of neon light.

My eyes narrow. Has that always been there? Wouldn't Sora or Riku have spotted it earlier instead of inspecting the _other side_ of the courtyard?

Cautiously, I tip-toe over to the heap. My heart drums in my ears, steadily picking up pace with each step closer...and skipping a beat when I get a good look. It's a _puppet_.

_Don't touch it._

The soles of my feet seem to have been cemented to the ground. I can only stare at the wooden figure and tighten my arms around me. I feel like I found the puppet a bit too easily.

_Don't. Touch. It._

Slowly I descend to my knees. It should be fine, right? Sora and Riku are here. I'll be fine._  
_

Despite my thoughts, I untangle the limbs and gently pick up the toy with shaking hands, cradling the head on its side in one hand the body in the other. The majority of it appears complete, but it looks like Geppetto was working on the facial features; only the nose and the smiling lips have been carved out. It's a beautiful toy...

"Imani! Did you find anything?"

I look over my shoulder at Riku as he walks over. "I found the pup—"

**Clack.**

I tense up and my heart pounds against my ribcage. I thought I felt the puppet _twitch._**  
**

_Don't look. Don't look._

"...Ma..." a distorted high-pitched voice crackles.

_Don't. Look._

Riku narrows his eyes. "Imani?"

I can't breathe. My fingers tremble against the smooth wood. I twist my neck around and inch my eyes back to the puppet. The puppet didn't twitch. No. My fingers are just trembling. That's all. That's all—

_NO! STOP!_

I nearly scream. The head isn't lying on its side. It's looking straight up at me.

"Maxiin," the toy's frozen lips seem to laugh, "let's _play_."

Fear seizes my body and I feel myself being sucked in by the two yellow orbs glowing where the eyes are supposed to be.

* * *

"Imani! Wake up, Imani!"

I peel open my eyes to see two blue wide ones staring down at me frantically. "Sora?"

He breathes a sigh of relief and cracks a smile. "You okay?"

"Sora! This thing isn't letting up!"

"If you're able to, come help us fight," he quickly blurts before running off.

My eyes follow him and my breath catches. A giant Heartless hovers high above Riku and Sora, the bottom of the cage dangling from its body barely brushing the tops of their heads. It swipes with its bright spindly fingers and hurls huge balls of energy at the boys, forcing them away.

W...Where did that come from? I thought Sora beat that thing back in Halloween Town.

Riku and Sora hardly touch the ground for seconds at a time, bounding up and swinging keyblades at the monster's jaggedly grinning head. With a wince I struggle to get up from the ground, groaning at the pain searing through my limbs. I have to help somehow.

_The air hisses with silence after the Heartless disappear in clouds of smoke around them. "Have you been a good boy?"* a voice from above sneers._

I swipe both arms across my chest diagonally, gripping heavy steel in both hands as they come down to my sides. Pressure squeezes my body at all angles as I bend to slip between a space chasm and the world flips upside-down. The Heartless' gaping mouth floats less than three feet away from my face. I switch the safety off of both guns and fire red bullets down its throat, cringing as it flails in pain and nearly whacks my head several times.

"Imani?"

I glance up at Sora and Riku's wide eyes and open mouths for a split-second before long fingers wrap around my body and yank me from my spot. My stomach lurches when I inhale some of the monster's disgusting breath as it pulls me closer. Just a few more bullets...

With a final shriek, the fingers release me and the monster writhes into smoke, making my eyes water. I slip through space again and land next to Riku, eyeing the Heartless warily as it dissipates.

All three of us collapse to the ground the moment the last of the Heartless disappears. "That could've been worse," Sora laughs.

"No kidding," Riku chuckles, rolling his head over to arch an eyebrow at me. "You're pretty tough, you know. It was hard trying to beat the Heartless out of you without hurting you too much."

"That...explains a lot..." I huff, shutting my eyes to the pain throbbing at my temples and the ache in my bones. "Ugh...His breath smelled _awful_..."

The boys laugh and Riku slurs, "Where's the puppet?"

Sora's hand shoots up, the wooden limbs of the doll in his grasp clacking noisily. "Here."

They're barely visible, but the stars in the night sky twinkle down at us when I open my eyes. I smile back. We can return the puppet now...after we've rested here for a minutes...or ten...

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!


	18. Laugh

**EDITED 6/21/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Let me know how my re-editing is going so far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_A long-haired man with a scraggly scar running right through one eye and a dark patch covering the other smirks at me. "I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed. You hardly did anything with my babies."_

_"I__ didn't need to," I answer simply with a shrug. "That Heartless put up a worse fight than Sora and his friends. You remember, don't you, Xigbar?"  
_

_"__Whatever." He waves a gloved hand. "You should've finished _them _off, too. You had plenty of chances."_

_"You know I won't do that. They're my friends."  
_

_"__Right. They're there to 'keep you in check' and all that. Spare me the specifics."_

_"Is there any reason why you're here or did you just come to bug me?" I sigh as I cross my arms. His attitude is wearing down my patience.  
_

_Xigbar barks out a laugh. "Saix sent me to see you. He's not too happy with your balancing act. The Superior doesn't seem worried, though."_

_I blink and nod slowly. "Um...okay. Is that all?"_

_"__Is that all? Hah! You're a cocky one, Maxiin."_

_"__That's what Zexion said. I think it's rubbing off from all of you."_

_"__Heh, but I gotta agree with Saix, kid. You're thinking about this too much." He taps his temple. "You _should _know. We know you do."_

_"What I know is that I'm being tossed between two opposing sides. I'm essentially two people in one. I'm Imani _and _Maxiin." I shake my head, untangling my arms to let them hang tiredly. "I have both __light _and _darkness. __I won't get anywhere if I restrict myself to just one of those."  
_

_"So you settle for hanging in limbo? Yeah, real smart. That'll fix everything eventually."_

_Fingernails scraping a chalkboard. "You don't _understand_."_

_"And Sora and his friends _do?_"_

_"_They _know more about internal conflict that _you _guys do," I growl. "You're all mindlessly working for the Organization's cause, believing that you're doing what's right. Maybe it's because you don't have hearts_—_I don't know. For some reason you don't understand how frustrating these past few days have been for me. Somebodies like Sora and Riku have hearts and have struggled before like I am. I can connect with them on that level so I'm relying on their help_—_"_

_"__Traitor."_

_My body is squeezed as I slip forward in a split-second. Something snaps, the crack echoing in the abyss. It's the sound of Xigbar's guns' safety locks sounding off in my hands_—_one barrel pressed against his forehead and the other stabbing his chest above where his heart would be if he had one. He just laughs up at me, not making any move to push himself up off the ground. "__Ooh, you're pretty quick. Guess you've adapted to space warping just fine, huh?"_

_"__Don't go throwing around that word so carelessly," I hiss. "I may not have intended it, but I've come to rely on these dreams with you Organization members as well. I've even started liking to hang around some of you. What I've learned from you has helped me understand a little more, and I'm grateful for that, but that doesn't mean I trust you or that I am willing to put myself forth for the Organization. The same goes for Sora and the others. If Xemnas wants to come back, tell him to take it or leave it."_

_His golden eye darts back and forth between my own eyes, his smirk only widening. "I'll pass on the message to the Superior," he finally says. "I like that cold glint in your eyes. It suits you."_

_The barrels of the guns clatter against the floor after Xigbar disappears amidst dark flaming miasma. I jerk upright, blinking furiously at the spot he lay in. I threatened him. I pointed a gun to his head. _

_I gulp thickly, a bullet-sized hole in my resolve suddenly making me second-guess my plan.  
_

* * *

The clock ticking on the table next to my bed reads eight in the morning, but the sky outside is as dark as night. A frown twists my lips and I have to remind myself that we'll be heading to Twilight Town soon. At least there we'll have _some_ sunlight.

I roll my wrists around, stretching my sore forearms. The Heartless in my dreams seem to get tougher with every night that passes—the ones from tonight's dream hovered at least a foot above my head. My ears are still ringing from their screeching voices.

Maybe I couldn't hear Sora's voice tonight because of all the racket?

I sit up slightly to look at the sleeping boy. Sora's sheets are tangled around his legs and hang off the edge of his bed. Maybe he didn't enter my dream at all tonight. Would he have woken up if my dream ended?

My eyes flit to Riku who sleeps in an armchair, curled awkwardly. I almost think he's having a dreamless sleep until I spot his hand twitching under his crossed arms. His brow knits together and he groans quietly.

A nightmare?

Yellow narrowed eyes suddenly flash before my own, making my heart still for a moment and my lungs rattle with a loud gasp. The monster's dark face makes the eyes glint and the bared sneering teeth behind the light-colored restraints crisscrossing over them glow. Warm breath puffs across my face—

A cry from Riku shatters the vision.

_A nightmare,_ I decide, panting lightly to catch my breath._ A bad one._

Quickly I slide out from underneath the covers and tip-toe to Riku's side. The moonlight from out the window illuminates the little beads of sweat on his neck and the strands of his silver hair sticking to his face. As I near I can hear his slightly ragged breathing. "Riku," I whisper, taking hold of his shoulder and shaking it gently. "Riku."

A quick intake of breath and Riku starts huffing as if he'd run a marathon.

"Riku," I try again, shaking his shoulder with more force. "Riku, wake up."

With a start, his eyes fly open, roving around the room in the aftershock of whatever sent him into a panic. They land on me and I see the trace of fear gleaming in them. "I-Imani?" he gasps.

"Are you okay?" I ask, furrowing my brow.

The fear in his eyes steadily disappears as he averts them, relaxing carefully in his chair and bringing a hand up to cradle his head. "I-I'm fine."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was just a dream. It's nothing."

"It's _something_ if it's bothering you this much."

A strange aftertaste lingers on my tongue and something—longing?—wrenches my heart. I could hear Aden's voice lacing my words.

"I said I'm fine," Riku grumbles.

"S-Sorry," I blurt, plastering on a halfhearted encouraging smile for him. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'll listen."

I tear my eyes away right as Riku glances up at me, looking to the opened door. "Good morning!" Pinocchio pokes his head in and whispers loudly. "Father made breakfast if you're hungry."

My cheeks are starting to hurt. "Thanks. We'll be down in a minute."

"What about Sora?" the boy asks innocently.

Both Riku and I turn to the still-sleeping keyblade master. "We should wake him up, shouldn't we?" I muse, moving to the boy's side. "We wouldn't want him to miss breakfast."

"You're right. Quick, grab a pillow."

I halt mid-step and whip my head to look strangely at Riku. "What?"

"Just do it." He's smirking, his pillow in one hand as he stealthily stalks over to Sora. "You too, Pinocchio. We're gonna _wake him up._"

* * *

Both Riku and I know Sora's trying to be intimidating, but that permanent pout tugging at his lips along with his extra-spiky bed head and his slightly wrinkled clothes only serves to make him appear childish. "You nearly suffocated me."

"Stop sulking." Riku rolls his eyes. "We had to wake you _somehow_."

"And a _pillow fight_ was the only option you three came up with?"

"You know you had fun. You woke up fast, too."

"Because all three of you teamed up against me! I _had_ to wake up so that I could defend myself from you guys whacking me in the face over and over again!"

"Swallow your food _before _you speak. You're spitting it all over the place!"

Pinocchio laughs happily and Geppetto chuckles under his breath at the banter. I hide my smile by biting into my blueberry muffin. My stomach is starting to hurt from all my bottled-up laughter.

Sora hastily swallows and wipes his mouth with his napkin. "I can't believe you even dragged Imani and Pinocchio into it."

Riku sips his drink with a nonchalant shrug. "It was Imani's idea in the first place."

I nearly choke on my food. "No it wasn't! I only said that we should wake Sora up. I didn't say we had to start a pillow fight."

"You have to go along with me." Riku quirks an eyebrow. "You could've just scurried down here but _no._ You grabbed a pillow."

"Because you _told _me to!"

"Imani! How could you go along with him! I feel betrayed!"

I can't hold it in anymore. I burst, throwing my head back. My shoulders shake and my insides tighten pleasantly as my laughter fills the room. I can't remember the last time I ever laughed so hard. It feels _wonderful._

"You seemed to be having the most fun out of all of us."

"Yeah, and look at you now! You're _laughing!_ I've never heard you laugh before."

_"I know I'm not a grocery item but I can tell when you're checking me out."_

_I rub the antibiotic cream into his cheek too harshly on accident, earning a hiss. "What?" I arch an eyebrow at him._

_"I may not be a genie but I can make your wishes come true," he deadpans.  
_

_"Aden, what are you doing?"_

_"Are your legs tired? You've been running through my mind all day."_

_I snort, bringing my hand away from his battered face. "_What_ are you _doing?_"_

_He narrows his dark eyes and his cracked lips frown. "Let me take a picture of you so I can show Santa exactly what I want for Christmas." _

_"What?" I laugh in disbelief. "Aden, seriously, what are you doing?"_

_"Ha!" He throws his hands up like a champ. "I did it!"_

_"Did _what?_"_

_"I made you laugh," he brings his arms down, staring me straight in the eye, "and I'm gonna do it again: Did it hurt?"_

_He's telling me corny pick-up lines to make me laugh? "Did what hurt?" I ask with a barely-subdued smile.  
_

_I throw my head back when he asks, "When you fell from heaven?"  
_

"You okay, Imani?"

Shaky breaths rack my lungs, mingling with my laughter and quickly dissolving it into sobs. "Yeah, I'm fine," I answer with a waver in my voice, trying to blink back the tears. "I'm fine."

Before anyone can say anything, I stand and take my plate as well as Geppetto's and Pinocchio's to the kitchen.

* * *

Riku and Sora haven't said a word after leaving. The silence is making me fidgety. "I...I forgot to mention my dream to you," I blurt, my voice echoing uncomfortably. I nearly jump how loud I sound despite barely murmuring. "I met with Xigbar this time—"

"Imani."

I stop as Riku and Sora stand in front of me, eyeing me strangely. "Yes?"

"We'll have more pillow fights," Sora declares, crossing his arms authoritatively.

I run that sentence in my head several times to make sure I heard him correctly. "P-Pillow fights?"

"Have you ever played Hide and Seek?" Riku asks.

"Uh, n-no..."

"What about Tag?"

"N...No..."

"Have you ever fished? Star-gazed? Seen a sunrise or a sunset from a beach?"

I shake my head at every question. What is Riku getting at?

He sighs, turning to Sora. "We should write down a list."

"I don't have paper." Sora shrugs. "Besides, you'll remember, right, Imani?"

"Remember what?" I ask.

"Once this whole mess is sorted out, we're going to do whatever you haven't done before," the brunet proclaims. "We'll play games and hang out and have fun."

"You might end up spending a lot of time with Kairi since you're both girls," Riku adds, rolling his jade eyes. "There's no way Sora and I are listening to your 'girl talks.'"

"Sound good?" Sora smiles.

I don't understand what spurred this sudden decision but a smile of my own settles on my face. "I can hardly wait."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **I can't remember my last pillow fight, or the last time I played any of those games. Sometimes it sucks to grow up, doesn't it? I miss being a kid...Anyway, thank you for reading!


	19. White

**EDITED 6/21/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

As expected, Donald was furious when we met up with him, the king, and Goofy in Twilight Town. He didn't try to hide his anger, squawking and sputtering madly at the three of us. Too bad my extensive memory didn't come with an angry-Donald-translator. Eventually we were able to calm him down and explain what's happened.

"Imani," the king mutters, "the darkness is dangerous. You could lose yourself for good."

"I understand. I hope you can trust that I know what I'm doing and support me, no matter what happens."

He hums thoughtfully, exchanging glances with Goofy and Donald. "We don't have much of a choice, do we? You are the Kismet Scribe. Destiny lies in your hands. We'll just have to trust that you'll make the right decision when the moment arrives."

I offer a smile. "Thank you. That's all I can ask of you."

They report that nothing much happened during their wait here with the exception of the annual Struggle bringing life to the town. (This year, Hayner had beat Seifer in the tournament, but he was defeated by Setzer for the champion title.) They investigated everywhere but the old mansion outside the woods.

"Let's check it out, then," Sora decides. "There's bound to be _some _sort of hint."

The six of us duck through the crack in the wall and dash through the dense forest, stepping carefully over the root knots in the ground. Mildly vivid images play in my head. _Nobodies surface from thin air, floating and burrowing and transforming...Roxas thrashes every single one with the keyblade he so recently acquired, handling the weapon like a natural..._

The tall rickety gate is still unlocked. A high wall surrounds the mansion. The path to the front door is covered with overgrown weeds peeking from between the cracks.

_"__Goodbye."*_

_Fingers snap. A figure in black writhes and coils in agony as the flames eat him up, his body dissolving into dark swirls of smoke. A younger Sora, horrified, looks on with his keyblade poised in his grasp.__ "__What are you?"*  
_

_"__What are we?" Axel shrugs. "Wish I knew the answer to that myself."*_

"Imani. Hurry up or we'll leave you behind."

Shaking my head slightly, I jog to meet the others as Riku opens the door. Immediately the smell of dust and age permeates the air. Pieces of rubble litter the dirty tile floor. Two staircases lead to the second level.

I vaguely notice Sora asking which side to check out first before my feet start moving for the staircase on the left. The steps creak under my weight one after the other as I rapidly climb to the second level and veer sharply, half-running to the door at the end of the hallway. Where am I going? Why can't I stop?

"_Roxas!"_

I throw the door open and my lungs seize up. White blinding white white walls white ceiling white floor a long white table one white chair at each end—

_I clench my fist, the sheets crumpling in my grasp as I stare at the white ceiling._

Scores of memories flash in my head as I take note of the papers strewn everywhere—papers tattooed with colorful pictures...drawings...

"_Would you like to draw?"_

White. Why can't I breathe properly? I can't feel my heartbeat...

_A gloved finger points to my chest. "The key to all our plans...the key to destiny...will be right there."_

_I glance down, bringing a hesitant hand_—_a__lso gloved_—_to hover over the spot he's pointing at. "Here?"_

"_Right there. You don't have one yet, but you will." He smiles almost fondly. "And when you acquire it, so will I. At long last, so will I."_

I blink and I find myself in front of one of the walls, a shaky hand ghosting over the soft lines.

"_Maybe drawing will help you sort out your thoughts."_

_No. That won't work. My thoughts change too quickly for me to focus on just one. If I ever try, all that I'll end up drawing are scribbles and lines and confusion and frustration. _

"..._I see."_

I find myself staring out the window at the courtyard below and the forest bathed in the orange hues of dusk. Oh God, I can't feel my heartbeat.

_It's raining again. I rest my head on the sill, a few drops of water grazing the tip of my nose before they gather with the rest in puddles. Heartless creep around aimlessly, emerging from the ground and skittering a bit. As soon as they appear they dive back into the darkness. I watch a few cloaked figures hang around as if in conversation._

_I wonder how far down the ground is from here. Fifty meters? A hundred? Would shattering my kneecaps be worth the escape? Or perhaps I could tie my bed sheets into a rope so that the distance won't be so far?_

I can't feel my heartbeat I can't feel it Ican'tfeelitIcan'tfeelitIcan't...

* * *

_I was desperate to get out. I was confined to a completely white, dull room with only a window to provide any other color...if the dark city could be considered "colorful." No one showed me how to make portals, but I couldn't have been able to get anywhere with them anyway; I never had clear destinations in mind. Even my memories weren't enough at the time. That room was all I knew. _

_I cringe at the memory, my insides twisting unpleasantly. I _hated _it.  
_

_But I couldn't have hated it. I couldn't feel. Why would I have wanted to escape so badly? __I was fed. I had shelter from the constantly recurring rain. I didn't have anything to find or rescue. There was no point to freeing myself from my confines...so why did I think about climbing out the window? Was it from insanity? Was it from loneliness? Was it something I knew?_

_But then, none of those possibilities make sense. Considering my ability to store countless memories, I think I had the mental capacity to keep from being driven insane. Nobodies don't feel, so I couldn't have been lonely. If I was an Organization member, wouldn't I have been glad to know the things I knew? That would mean I'd be an asset to the Organization's cause. Wouldn't that make me happy? Proud? Wouldn't that be something to hold above the others in the Organization?_

_"__Whatcha thinking about?"_

_I crane my neck up from my seat on the floor and my eyes sting momentarily from the sudden burst of red. "Hey J-E-R-K."_

_He reels back, narrowing his eyes. "Whoa. What'd I do to deserve that?"_

_"You led me to Heartless. Twice."_

_"They were orders from the Superior. It's not like I _wanted_ to put you in danger."__  
_

_"So does Xemnas order you to come see me often, too?" My jaw tightens inexplicably. "Do you not really want to see me?"  
_

_"I__..." __Axel's mouth opens wide in protest but nothing comes out. Instead he mutters, "__Answer my question."_

_I swallow down my resigned sigh. "Did you see me when I escaped?"_

_With a grunt, he takes a seat next to me. "I thought you knew everything, Maxiin."_

"_I'm kinda just double-checking. I was so focused on getting away. I might have missed you."_

_"I think I saw someone with a hood sneaking around the castle once. Short, small build, whipping their head around as if afraid they'd be caught. That could've been you."_

_I nod silently, tightening my arms around my knees and resting my chin. "Did you have _your _hood up?" I eventually ask.  
_

_"__N...No, I don't think so. Why?"_

_"__Maybe if I'd seen your hair, I wouldn't have been so paranoid about getting out."_

_He barks out a laugh. "If you'd seen my _hair?_"_

_"__Or Marluxia's. Or even Zexion's. _Your_ hair would've had the biggest effect on me, though."_

_"What are you talking about, Maxiin?"_

_Even tighter I hugged my legs to my chest. "There was no color. Everything was white. It was...depressing."_

_"__You couldn't have felt depressed."_

_"I know...but why did I feel so empty?"_

_"__Because you were a Nobody. That's how we all feel. Empty."_

_I sigh and frown deeply. "I hated it. Feeling empty, I mean."_

_"__Now you know why the Superior is doing all this." His coat rustles as he gets up for a moment to sit cross-legged in front of me, plopping down again with another grunt. "Why _we're_ doing all this. We want to feel."_

_"But you said yourself that Nobodies can never become Somebodies."_

"_Who're _you _to talk?" He quirks a delicate eyebrow. "That's not stopping the Superior. His plans might actually work."_

_I mull over his words, thoughtfully staring into his green eyes. They_—_Nobodies_—_feel that emptiness I felt, and they hate it like I did. They're doing everything they can, then, is to get their own hearts to escape their emptiness. Is that why _I_ tried to escape? _

_Xemnas' intentions don't seem so twisted anymore... _

"_You're lucky," Axel's voice echoes almost wistfully. "Things might not seem that way to you, but really, you're lucky."_

_Axel doesn't seem like a jerk anymore...Just sitting down and talking like this reminds me of Aden.  
_

_"Maybe _you're_ the lucky one. You and the others. You don't have to feel any conflict like I do." I swallow. "You don't have to feel hurt or scared...or lonely..."_

_He smirks. "You just keep telling yourself that."_

* * *

"I think she's waking up!"

"Imani? Imani! Are you okay?"

I peel open one eye only to shut it tight. Damn. I'm still in the white room. "What happened?" I groan.

"You just fainted." Sora helps me sit up. "Are you okay? How'd you faint?"

"Here, drink this." The king hands me a bottle of water.

"I was remembering," I mumble with a nod, absentmindedly twisting the cap off. "And then fainted and I saw Axel."

"Again? What'd he say?"

My body suddenly feels like an empty shell as I repeat the words he told me in my head, the decibels bouncing off my frame back and forth uneasily. Those words trouble me. Now that I understand and can empathize with the Nobodies, can I still follow through with foiling Xemnas' plans to bring back the Organization and give them their hearts through world destruction?

"Imani?" A hand rests on my shoulder. "What'd he say?"

Later. I'll think about it later. "He said...we should check out the other room now," I murmur quietly.

"He did, huh? Okay," Sora chirps, standing straight and offering a hand. "We'll make sure you don't faint again."

The others begin to head out of the room, leaving me and Riku to dwindle behind. I glance the room one last time before exiting for Riku to shut the door.

I'm lucky, huh? Lucky to reminisce and remember the joy and the sadness and the fear and the anger and the peace and the love...Lucky to _feel._

I don't entirely agree with him. I'm certainly not lucky to feel so conflicted.  
_

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought:** Thank you for reading! Please review!


	20. Birth

**EDITED 6/22/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thanks for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

"Did Axel say something that's bothering you?"

I stare down, watching my feet step one before the other on our way to the other side of the mansion. I might crack if I look into his piercing jade eyes. "I'm not sure what you're asking."

"You know what I'm asking."

A corner of my mouth quirks up as I spot an opened chest to my left. Roxas found a potion in there. "Nothing is bothering me, Riku."

"You need to work on acting that way if you're going to lie about it. Or at least admit that you're bothered and then decline my offer to talk."

Another step leads me straight into Riku's chest. I mumble my apology, keeping my eyes focused on our shoes standing a few inches from each other.

"Imani," he sighs. "What did Axel say?"

"He said what I told Sora," I lie, ignoring the bitter taste in my mouth. "We need to check out that other room."

A silence follows. Clothing rustles quietly and two fingers slowly lift my chin so that my face is level with his.

"Didn't you say you'd be willing to listen if I wanted to talk?" he murmurs.

"Uh...Yes?" My insides squirm under his intent stare. "What does that have to do with—"

"It was about the darkness," he cuts me off a little impatiently. "It was a constant struggle to heal, especially when I pretended to be Ansem and embodied Xehanort's heartless. Xehanort tried to overpower me, and it took all of my strength to control it without losing myself. That took a lot out of me. I sometimes wondered if my heart would give out and I'd completely surrender to the darkness. Ever since coming home with Sora, I've had nightmares nearly every night."

Something flickers in and out in his eyes. It looks like _guilt_.

"I wasn't really a Nobody and at times that made me feel conflicted. I was naïve; I was jealous of Sora, but I was worried about my friends. I wanted to escape and embrace the darkness at the same time. I soon realized I _had_ to embrace the darkness to escape it, to help my friends. There was always this tug-of-war going on."

_A fist clenches around metal. He sits against a wall, blindfolded and carefully blank._

He grimaces. "I did so many horrible things to Sora. I was stupid. If I could go back to that time on Destiny Islands, I would change everything I did to him. I didn't deserve to be found by Sora. I don't deserve to be here right now. I made so many mistakes that caused him and Kairi so much trouble. I regret everything."

_Two figures sit next to each other on a moonlit beach. "Well, there is one advantage to being me...something you could never imitate. Having you for a friend."*_

His eyes soften. "I don't know if that's what _you're _feeling or if Axel said something that's making you feel confused like I was, but just know that you can talk to me, too. It helps."

I can only gape at him wide-eyed. I half-wonder if he read my mind. I'm afraid I'm making a mistake that could ruin everything. I suddenly don't know what to do anymore thanks to the revelation I had with Axel. I don't want the worlds to be destroyed but now I want to help Nobodies like Axel and Demyx get their hearts. I'm starting to get used to being a know-it-all and I've become so integrated into this task that was thrown at me and it scares me. This heavy responsibility _scares _me. I don't know what to _do_. There aren't any textbook answers for a task like this and while I wish Aden was here to talk to, I know he couldn't give me a specific solution no matter how hard he tried.

My lips part and the thoughts haunting me perch at the tip of my tongue...

"Slowpokes!"

...only for me to clamp them shut again. I peer around Riku to see Sora leaning against the banister and Donald crossing his arms impatiently. "Hurry up already!" the duck quacks.

"Yeah, you shouldn't be making moves at a time like this, Riku," Sora teases, a wicked glint in his smile.

"Drop dead, Sora." Riku turns and rolls his eyes, making his way over. "We were just talking."

Sora laughs as Goofy holds the door ajar. I lag behind slightly, being the last to enter the strange study, and once again the floodgates burst open as I take in the room. "Remember this place, guys?" Sora jogs down the steps with Donald and Goofy close behind. The king and Riku tag along with smiles on their faces. I step down less quickly, my feet alighting quietly on the fiberglass.

"Yeah!" Donald exclaims, pointing and narrating like a tour guide. "We went through this door here." Everyone follows him to the next room where the smashed screens of the computer Ansem the Wise sat at under the guise of DiZ.

"_Very soon, Namine won't be needed."_

_He roars in frustration. Glass shatters and sparks fly upon every blow from Roxas' keyblade._

"Remember anything?" Sora asks over his shoulder.

I shake my head faintly, my skin tingling with tiny shocks and shallow scratches from remembering the sparks and the shards. "Not quite. Nothing yet."

"Let's keep going, then," the king says. We move on to the next room, a small one filled with big glass canisters and cylindrical metal structures lining the walls. Another opened chest sits to the side.

Goofy points to the glass canisters. "This is where Donald and I were sleeping!"

"This is where you two were?" His Majesty repeats in shock, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping as he studies the canisters.

"Yeah!" Donald agrees enthusiastically. "Then we reunited with Sora in there!" He points to a door leading into a white room.

My heart stops. White...

"There's gotta be something here to jog your memories," Sora says determinedly, crossing his arms. "Is there something more we can do?"

The others put out suggestions while I continue to stare at the white beyond the door opening. I don't want to faint again, but the memories I revisited in the other room did help me remember some important memories...

"_You're lucky."_

"Imani?"

I blink, realizing I'm only a step away from entering the white room.

"Wait for us. We've gotta make sure you don't faint again."

"I-I'll be fine. Don't worry." Without waiting, I take that final step...

_A huge, translucent, egg-like capsule sits in the middle of the room. A staircase leads to the front where portions of the bud have unfolded like petals. A figure floats upright in the bud, sleeping peacefully. _

"That's where I was sleeping," Sora remarks. "Right, Imani?"

I narrow my eyes. He's right, but...

_He cackles softly under his breath, goldenrod eyes never leaving the sleeping figure. "She's beautiful."_

She?_  
_

"I wonder if Roxas ever saw you here," Goofy says.

"Yeah," Sora says. "And I wonder what he thought if he saw me."

_Short, dark hair. Round face. Shaped dark eyebrows. Slightly curled lashes._

That's...not Sora..._  
_

"It seems like it's been so long since we were here," Donald comments.

"Hey, did _you_ ever see me here, Riku?"

"Once or twice. I stayed away from this place as much as possible."

_Pale skin. Relaxed shoulders. Narrow hips. Short, stubby legs. _

Who _is_ that?_  
_

"Imani? Do you remember anything?"

_"The time has come for her to awaken," he announces. "She is ready."_

Something ignites in my mind and my slowed heart sinks. Oh no..._  
_

"Imani?"

_Layers of the giant egg unfold one after another. When all layers have unfolded, the figure levitates towards the staircase as dark smoke swirls around her body, settling upon her as a long cloak._

_She opens her eyes as if awaking from slumber. Dark, empty eyes._

A scream builds up at the back of my throat but I can't remember how to let it out. Those are _my_ eyes...

_He extends his arms. "Welcome, Maxiin."_

* * *

_"You're here _again?_"_

_I open my eyes and sigh audibly, turning half-lidded exasperated eyes to Zexion. "I _did _faint again."_

_"You knew it would happen."_

_"I had to chance it. White seems to be the color that triggers any important remembering for me."_

_"__But you're always _fainting_. You'll worry those _friends _of yours."_

_I scoff. "Since when have you been concerned about who I worry, especially when it's Sora and the others? And shouldn't you be glad I'm fainting? That gives you Organization members more opportunities to wedge more darkness into my heart so that it practically flows through my veins and prepares my body for Xemnas' reincarnation."_

_A beat of silence and I drop my jaw. _What _did I just say?_

_"Your memories seem to be returning to you," Zexion notes approvingly. _

_I gather my wits quickly and reply with an arched eyebrow, "You don't sound surprised."_

_"__I anticipated it."_

_"How much of Xemnas' plans did I remember just now?"  
_

_"I refuse to answer, not until you realize your mistake in performing this balancing act of yours."_

_"Would it make you feel better if I called it an experiment?"  
_

_His eyes narrow. "A foolish one."  
_

_"Vexen would be happy to know I'm experimenting," I fire back without a moment of wondering who "Vexen" is.  
_

_"Vexen is a blabbermouth and a traitor. Axel did well to eliminate him, albeit a bit late."_

_"Knowing him, the only reason he was able to cut off Vexen so easily was because he had nothing to harbor the guilt of killing his comrade."_

_"You could say the same for the rest of the Organization. Our nothingness comes with our lack of a sense of guilt. It makes our decision-making more timely that yours, apparently."_

_My supply of retorts seems to have run out as I open and close my mouth fruitlessly. That was a nice reminder of the new conflict I can pile atop the mountain I seem to have created. As if I need more to think about... _

_"Do any of you trust each other?" I find myself asking.  
_

_He pauses, his face blank but his eye flickering with thought. "The only thing we trust is the nothingness itself."_

_"Because that's all you know, right? But if you only trust the nothingness, how can you become a Somebody? You'd have to take that risk and leave your comfort zone to embrace the new light." I shrug sadly. "What would the point of becoming a Somebody be if you can't adopt those new feelings?"_

_His visible eye widens a little. I think I struck a chord.  
_

_"That's what you all want, right?" I step towards him. "To feel. To escape the emptiness. That's what Axel said, anyway."_

_Once again, he takes a moment to respond. "I am loyal to the Organization. The Superior knows what he is doing and will do what is best."_

_I come to a halt in front of him, searching his stoic face for a hint of longing.  
_

_"It will be in your best interests to follow the Superior as well," he murmurs. _

_My hand slowly comes up to rest tentatively on his chest, right on the spot under which his heart should beat. _"_You might be loyal, but you're not entirely honest. Even if Xemnas' plans for the Organization did not include turning you into a Somebody, you'd want to be one all the same." I offer a small smile at his widened eye and his parted lips. "I understand. You know I do."_

_He takes a step back, out of my reach, and glances away momentarily. "Stop this silly _experiment _of yours," he orders, "and remember where your loyalties lay before you became a Somebody. If you truly understand, you will do whatever you can to ensure that the Organization you left behind can experience the _bliss _you've found in escaping this emptiness."_

_I shake my head, my hand still extended out towards him. "You've seen for yourself that it isn't all bliss. If you want to be a Somebody, you'll have to practice working out these trust issues you're having with other Somebodies...like me. What you've commanded of me is easier said than done_—_"_

_"For you, obviously."_

_"_—_but you're going to have to trust that I'll do what is right."_

_He crosses his arms. "You said something to that effect to Sora and Riku."_

_"I did because they're my friends and I trust them." I falter for a moment to untangle the words that have become jumbled on my tongue before forcing them out of my mouth: "__You're my friend, too."_

_For the third time, his eye widens in shock. "Excuse me?"_

_I roll around my tongue while trying to find the words that would fit my thoughts properly. "I...I feel like I have a deeper connection with you now that I remember what it was like to be a Nobody...and I can't think of a better term to use.__" I let my hand fall to my side and stare at him intently, a determination to make him understand burning in my chest. "You are my friend, and in an unconventional way, I...I _trust _you...and I need you to trust me...and you kind of have to since I'm the one with the power to inscribe your destiny."_

_Zexion averts his gaze, a shadow of resignation dimming his eye._

_ "So...please be patient with me." I step towards him once more and grab his hand. "I have no idea what to do right now, but I'm going to find a way to make this work."_

_He doesn't pull away. A flicker of hope sparks in my heart. "I suppose offering empty words comes with becoming a Somebody, hm?"_

_Too soon the flicker is doused. I sigh. "No. Learning to trust comes with becoming a Somebody, which is something that might take you a while to pick up, even with all your brainpower."_

_Zexion humphs with a smirk, peering down at me. "Perhaps it's the matter of _who _it is one will have to trust that hinders the learning process."

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought:** Please review! Thank you for reading!


	21. Bothered

**EDITED 6/22/2010  
**

**Author's Comments:** Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

I wince slightly at the bright colors bursting when I open my eyes—purples, pinks, greens, and golds illuminated by oil lamps scattered throughout the vast decorated room. My fingers run across a few inches of the satin sheets I'm resting on. Part of a sandy-colored city dimmed by the night sky peeks in around a long curtain pooling at the floor. The chilly air gently blows in through the wide window...

A tiger.

I freeze. It's not leashed or caged and it's staring at me. Will it leave me alone if I don't move...?

No such luck. The tiger lugs itself up off the floor and saunters over to me until its mug is less than a few inches away from me. Its wet sniffling nose tickles me as it wanders from my face along my neck, forcing me to bite my tongue so I don't start laughing.

Laughing? How can I even _think _about laughing at a time like this?

"Raja, she's sleeping. Don't wake her up!"

The tiger glances away from me briefly, mumbling in confusion almost as if to say, "But she's _not _sleeping. What are you talking about?" or "You mean I _can't_ eat her?"

"Raja!" The owner of the voice—a beautiful girl with long dark hair and tanned skin—appears behind the tiger. Her almond-shaped eyes widen when she sees me looking at her. "Oh! I'm sorry! Did Raja wake you up?"

It suddenly clicks:_ Desert city_—_Agrabah. Girl_—_Princess Jasmine. Tiger_—...

Never mind. I'm still a little confused.

I sit up cautiously, flicking my eyes between the princess and the giant cat. "I woke up on my own, Your Highness."

Both the princess and the cat blink, shooting each other a bewildered glance. "Sora was right, then," the princess exclaims quietly. "You do know who I am and what we've been through."

"I do, Your Highness," I hold back a flinch when I notice how the light makes those claws gleam, "but I don't remember a tiger..."

"Oh, you mean Raja?" She wraps her arms around the cat's neck and squeezes tightly. "That might be a good thing, huh? He didn't have to face those awful Heartless last time."

"That's true, Your Highness."

"You don't have to keep calling me that," she laughs. "Just Jasmine is fine. Any friend of Sora's is a friend of our kingdom. Speaking of Sora, I should probably tell him you've woken up. He and his friends were quite worried about you when they came."

"How long have we been here?"

"For a few hours. Your friend Riku carried you here with Sora and King Mickey and Donald and Goofy. They said you needed a place to rest and explained what's been happening." Raja scoots to the side for Jasmine to sit on the bed. "Are you feeling alright? Sora said you'd fainted twice today."

"Y-Yeah." I nod, glancing away. "It's been a long day, I suppose."

"Are you well enough to eat? We just finished dinner, but I can have the cooks make you something if you'd like. Maybe you'll feel better if you eat something."

"_You need to eat, Maxiin. Starving to death is not an option."_

_"Then I'll eat until my stomach explodes. I'll cease to exist that way, too, won't I?"  
_

The growl rumbling in my empty stomach answers for me and breaks me from my flashback. "If it isn't any trouble..."

"Of course not!"

* * *

"Just so you know, Sora and Riku are in this room," Jasmine points across the hall, "and King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are in this room." She points to the room next door. "I hope you have a good night, Imani."

I bid her goodnight and step inside my room. The air is suddenly thick with the aroma of perfumes and spices and I feel my muscles relax instantly. I follow the scent to the bathroom where a deep circular tub sits filled to the brim. Cylindrical containers of soaps and perfumes line the tub and soft candlelight flickers from the walls.

The more I take in, the wider my eyes become. This must be what's called "royal treatment," huh?

Peeling off my sweat-soaked clothes and picking out the clips from my hair, I carefully slip into the water and sigh. My eyelids begin to droop dangerously low so I only spend a few minutes soaking before actually washing up. None of the containers had labels, but I do my best to scrubs out all the grime on my body. For all I know, I could be using facial soap to wash my hair. Once satisfied, I step out and drain the tub, toweling myself dry before slipping on the lavender nightgown set aside for me on one of the tables.

I return to the bed, unfolding one of the thick wool blankets and settling in amidst the mountain of pillows. Another sigh and I close my eyes...

_"You can talk to me, too. It helps."_

My eyebrow twitches.

_"There is so much that I'm still trying to figure out but I _know_ that as long as you two trust in me, everything will be resolved for the better."_

I flop onto one side, burying my head in the pillows. Not now. I don't want to think about this now._  
_

_"Learning to trust comes with becoming a Somebody, which is something that might take you a while to pick up on, even with all your brainpower."_

I flop onto my other side, raking my fingers through my hair. I'll think about it in the morning. Just let me _sleep.  
_

_"It's _something_ if it's bothering you this much."  
_

I know it is. I _know_ it is—

_"Did Axel say something that's bothering you?"_

With a resigned sigh, I throw the blanket to the side, roll off the bed, and tip-toe out of the room. I'm only going to talk to them about it if they're awake. If they're sleeping, it's gonna _have _to wait until morning, no matter how much it picks my brain tonight.

_"Imani, just wake me up next time," Aden huffs groggily. "I don't care about losing an hour or two of sleep if something's bothering you."_

Riku and Sora aren't you, Aden...

I halt before the curtained doorway of the boys' room, breathing in to calm my nerves. _But I'm starting to need them to be.  
_

Carefully I pinch a section of the thick curtain and pull it back a few inches, just enough to inspect the beds. Sora's wild brown hair peeks out from underneath the covers so I chance a few more inches...

The whole curtain jerks to the side completely and I jump back, retracting my hand as if the curtain is on fire. The remaining boy I'd hoped was asleep stands in front of me, loose sleeping clothes draping off his frame and confusion written on his face. "Imani?"

The more I look at him, the darker and shorter and more side-swept his hair becomes. His eyes become inked with the color of chocolate. Those sleeping clothes transform into dark sweats and the t-shirt with the robot shooting donuts from its head...the one I bought him for his birthday...

His gaze softens a little. "Is something wrong?"

I'm not dreaming. He's really here. He's _here_. "Aden..."

"Imani?"

I blink and my heart drops. Riku—not Aden—stands before me, looking at me with concern shadowing his eyes.

Ignoring the horrible pang in my chest, I ask him, "Will you be my Aden?"

His brow creases. "Your...Your Aden?"

"You said you'd be willing to listen if I ever wanted to talk, right?" I avert my gaze. "Aden's...He's always been..."

"Imani?" Sora trudges into view around Riku, his bed-tussled hair more unruly than ever and his droopy eyes barely open. "What's wrong?"

"She needs an Aden...or two." Riku arches an eyebrow at Sora. "You up for it?"

Immediately the sleep from his eyes vanishes and he smiles gently. "Come in, Imani."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Please leave a review! Thank you for reading!


	22. Lies

**EDITED 6/23/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_I slip under into the darkness once while vaguely contemplating how nice it would be to have a dreamless sleep again...__when before my eyes, a void appears and out steps a woman with thin eyebrows and blond hair. Her bangs remind me of antennas. "You're pretty boring, Maxiin," she comments dryly. "All you've done for the past few days is fight a few Heartless and _think_. I almost fell asleep four times yesterday."__  
_

_Yeah. A dreamless sleep would be much better than spending a minute with _her_._

_"__Larxene," I sigh, "is there a message you need to pass on to me from Xemnas or are you here just because?"_

___"Why? Are you eager to get rid of me? You never mind it when Axel or Demyx come around," she huffs, placing her hands on her hips. "Even _Zexion's___ more welcome here than I am."_

___"That's not what I mean."_

___"Then what _do_ you mean, Maxie?"_

_A growl tickles the back of my throat. Does she act this way to cover up her emptiness or is she just twisted in general? "Most of my dreams have been opportunities for you Organization members to pass on messages and _reminders_ to me. I was just wondering if your visit would be the same."_

_"Well, then, here's your _reminder_ that if you don't choose to surrender to darkness instead of light and continue to try balancing the two_—_"_

_I stifle a groan. Again they're bringing this up?  
_

_"_—_all the worlds will collapse around you."_

_The words echo ominously after she's said them. "W...What?"_

_"Oh Maxie, didn't you know?" she gasps, slapping her hands to her cheeks soundly. "You're practically living on borrowed time!"_

_"__What do you mean?" I demand, my stomach flipping uncomfortably.  
_

_"__I mean that if you don't choose a side before it's too late, all the power stored in your being will flow out of you against your will and destroy everything and everyone," she snarls. "Foolish girl."_

_Panic wells up in my chest, squeezing my lungs and sizzling my nerves. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this?" I nearly scream. "None of you told me that could happen!"_

_"__Well, really, it doesn't concern any of _us_, since we're already gone, technically. _You_ won't be destroyed, either. Xemnas created you so that you'll remain immune to your own power's destruction. That way, when everything is gone, you'll have nothing but your own guilt to dwell on until your body gives into the darkness and you reincarnate Xemnas." She leans in with a shrug. "See? There wasn't really a point in telling you about the whole destruction thing."_

_"Then why are you so intent on filling my heart with darkness _now_ if it's supposed to happen anyway if I don't choose a side?"_

_"__Because waiting for you to destroy all the worlds is gonna take too long!" she exclaims as if it were obvious. "I mean, sure, that saves _us _the trouble of destroying the worlds ourselves when we return, but that's no fun. We have nothing better to do now, anyway."_

_Amidst the panic, a twinge of pain clenches my heart as I think back to my previous dreams. I called Zexion my friend and I was having second-thoughts about Axel...and Demyx acted so friendly and open with me...They don't _trust_ me. They don't see me as a _person_. They don't see _me _the way I was starting to see _them_.  
_

_"__I'm just a way to pass time for you Nobodies," I conclude, cursing the waver in my voice and my naivete. "__I'm a toy. Is that it?"_

_"__Mmm...More like a tool," she corrects nonchalantly. Her footsteps carry her a few feet closer, clacking against the ground too loudly. "Of course, you probably know _that_. You were a tool from the very beginning."_

_"I _get_ it," I snap, the heat of anger clouding my brain and burning away the false hopes I had for my dream-visitors. "If you're done _reminding_ me, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me now."__  
_

_Larxene halts, her lips pulling back into an evil grin. "Leave you?"_

_She barely gives me enough time to register the knives flying at me. In the last second, I manage to roll out of the way. "What was that for?" I shout angrily, bolts of electricity jumping where I once stood.  
_

_She sighs dramatically. "You're so boring. This whole thing is boring. I don't care about getting a heart. I don't care about your 'experiment', Maxie. Honestly, I don't want a heart. There's too much that comes with having one. I'd rather just tick you off while I'm here instead of trying to 'wedge more darkness into your heart.' It's all the same, anyways."_

_With a flick of her hand, the electrified tips of more throwing knives fill the spaces between her slender fingers. Electric blue eyes narrow and she rises into the air, looming over me like a storm cloud anxious to burst.  
_

_I swipe my arm across my chest to call a keyblade...but as I study her face, I slow to a stop. The heat fueling my anger seeps away. My body relaxes. My heart softens._

_"That's a lie," I murmur in awe. "You're _lying_."_

_She freezes, her fists clenching tightly around her knives. "What nonsense are you babbling about now?"  
_

_ "You still remember what it was like to really laugh, don't you?" I declare confidently.  
_

_"I have no idea what you're saying_—_"_

_"That's why you antagonize others_—_you find it amusing...or, at least, you find false amusement in it."_

_Larxene growls, "Maxie, cut it out_—_"_

_"You just want to laugh __the kind of laugh that takes over your entire body again_,_" the words rush from my mouth as I shake my head in disbelief, "__the kind that makes your sides hurt and your heart soar_—_"_

_"I said shut up!"_

_She hurls daggers down on me, releasing handful after handful. The knives rain down endlessly, nicking my arms and slicing through my nightgown. My skin tingles with the tiny shocks from the blades. I can't jump away far enough before the storm follows me. "Killing me off isn't going to do you any good if you want to laugh again!" I call over the shower of knives._

_"SHUT UP!" she shrieks. "Shut that disgusting mouth of yours!"_

_"I'll help you get your heart if you just put a little faith in me!"_

_"SHUT UP!"  
_

_"__Larxene."_

_Finally she stops and tentatively I uncurl my body to glance up at her. Her face shows no hint that she'd been screaming at me; instead she smirks at some point behind me with her hands on her hips. "Marly! What are you doing here?"_

_I peek over my hunched shoulders and see a man in a dark cloak with pink fluffed hair standing with his arms crossed and a reprimanding glare underlying his blank face. "Marluxia."_

_"__Maxiin." He bows flamboyantly to me. "An honor to meet you at last."_

_I only nod hesitantly in return before rolling my head around on my neck to stretch out the kinks.__  
_

_Marluxia turns to Larxene as she descends to the ground. "__Larxene, you are supposed to return to the Superior. He says if you insist on defying his orders a minute more, he will personally see to it that you do not return as a Somebody."_

_Her jaw tightens and something flickers in her eyes. I eye her smugly. I knew I was right._

_"Fine," she huffs, her knives disappearing with a flick of her wrist. "Maxie was boring me."  
_

_"__And I'm afraid I too must depart," Marluxia sighs as he and Larxene vanish in amidst flames of miasma. "We'll meet again soon."_

_"__Not _too _soon, I hope," I mutter under my breath, gingerly stepping over the knives Larxene left speared into the ground.  
_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **What do you think? Please, please review!


	23. Seized

**EDITED 6/22/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted wtih an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

"GOOOOOOOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE!"

A huge racket erupts. Blasting trumpets, thundering drums, squawking birds, screeching monkeys, buzzing kazoos, and tooting accordions roar in my ears, drilling holes into my brain. Jamming my fingers into my ear canals and burrowing under my blanket do little to mute the racket. "Stop! I'm up!" I yell over the noise.

"WHAT?" a voice calls. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER ALL THIS NOISE!"

Groaning exhaustedly, I throw the covers off and sit up to glare sleepily at a big blue figure with eight arms full of instruments (plus a suffocating red parrot and an infuriated little monkey), three heads, and a smile bright enough to rival at least ten lighthouses. A laugh bubbles in my chest but I stuff it down.

"Oh, you're _up! _You're _awake!_ You're _alive _and _well!_" Genie laughs as if he just understood a joke I was trying to tell. In puffs of glittering smoke, the instruments and six of his arms disappear, leaving the parrot to sputter incoherently and the monkey to shake an angry fist at him.

"Yeah, thanks to you," I grumble while telling myself not to laugh at the sight at the foot of my bed.

"What a relief! I feel like I used up all the wind in me." He proceeds to deflate like a balloon, complete with sound effects and silly face.

Don't laugh. Don't...nodon'tsmiledon'tdon't_dang_it!

A smile cracks my glare and I let out the laugh in my chest, raking a hand through my mussed-up hair.

"What're _you_ laughin' at?" the parrot, Iago, demands breathlessly while the monkey, Abu, glares. "This kook nearly squeezed the life outta me!"

"Oh, now, don't be exaggerating!"

"I couldn't breathe, you dimwit! And now I'm _molting!_"

"Hey guys!" Sora strides in with a grin as the animals continue squabbling.

"Captain Sora!" Genie salutes stiffly with the hand grasping Abu. "'Operation: Wake Up Call' was a success!"

My jaw drops as I whip my head to the saluting Sora. "_You _told him to do this?"

"Consider it payback for yesterday morning," he says with a devilish smirk.

Goosebumps erupt on my arms and my laughter turns nervous. "That...was a bit much, wasn't it?"

Behind Sora, Riku trudges into the room, rubbing the back of his neck with a grimace. "I agree. He gave me a 'wake up call,' too."

"He did? Why didn't I hear it?"

"He gave me a different wake up call. I'd have preferred yours over mine _any_ day."

Sora's barely contained mirth is making my stomach uneasy. "What did he do to you?"

"He _dog-piled _me," Riku deadpans, shooting a glare at Genie. "All _ten_ of him."

"Correction!" Genie shouts. "All _eight_ of me."

"Liar! I counted!"

"Au contraire, mon ami!" He whips out his hand and begins counting off with his fingers, "There was me, Genie, Genie, Genie, Genie, Genie, Genie, Genie, Genie, Genie—"

* * *

Sora later confesses at breakfast that part of the reason he suggested coming to Agrabah was to get Genie to help him take revenge. "There's no way you two can top that!" He waves his fork around extravagantly.

I exchange a scheming glance with Riku across the table. We'll see about that.

"When did you ask Genie to help you?" Aladdin asks between stuffing food into his mouth and chugging his drink down while Abu sits on his shoulder, munching on a piece of fruit. He's almost as bad as Sora. He'd probably take third place after Aden on the list.

"Last night. Riku went out for a little bit, so I took the chance to call Genie—"

"Who was _bathing_, mind you," Genie interjects. "Ooh, it was so _embarrassing!_"

"—and plan something. I didn't tell him _how_ to wake you up, though. I knew he'd come up with something."

"You bet I did!" They high-five each other soundly.

Goofy tilts his head after exchanging a glance with Donald and the king. "How come we didn't get a wake up call?"

"_You _guys didn't pummel me with pillows," Sora explains, pointedly looking at me and Riku.

Aladdin shakes his head. "Trust me, Genie gets _enough _chances waking us up. This one time, he—"

"Aladdin! Could you come help me with something? You too, Genie."

His eyes light up at the sound of Jasmine's voice. "Gotta go! I'll tell you later." He, Genie, and Abu bolt out of the room, their chairs scraping against the tile floor.

"So how'd you sleep last night?" Sora asks, shoveling food down his throat. "You beat those Heartless pretty easily."

Goofy peers at me strangely. "You did? Then how'd you get all those scorches on your arms?"

Scorches? Lifting one arm, I let out a cry at the bright red streaks. "Ah!"

"They look painful!" Donald coils back with a sympathetic hiss.

"I was wondering about those, too." The king tentatively brushes his gloved fingertips along a few stripes. "Did something happen? Did you meet anyone?"

I slump in my seat. "Larxene and Marluxia."

Sora, Goofy, and Donald groan collectively. "From what Sora's told me about those two, I'm glad I didn't have to deal with them," Riku comments with a frown.

I pick at my food while delving into the dream I had last night. The scorches sting with the memory of the sparks and the blades and I can faintly smell flowers despite not being anywhere near a garden. Larxene's words only serve to thicken the stickiness in my stomach and ruin my appetite.

"How can we tell how much time we have until you lose control?" Riku wonders. "And how can we tell how much darkness or light your heart has inherited—"

A shriek interrupts his question, frying my nerves more terribly than the knives from last night did.

"That's Princess Jasmine!" Donald screams, scrambling from his seat and dashing in the direction Aladdin and the Genie had headed earlier.

We rush out of the dining hall and towards the courtyard outside. Heartless of all shapes and sizes have Jasmine and Aladdin trapped in a corner of the palace walls. The spells Genie casts with his snapping fingers seem to hardly make a dent in the group.

My heart sinks and my stomach churns with fear. Why are there so many? Where did they come from? I'm not hallucinating, am I?

"Sora!" Aladdin shouts, doing his best to shield the princess and his monkey.

Genie poofs beside me. "What do we do?"

"We fight!" Sora proclaims, bringing out his keyblade determinedly and charging head on into the chaos. Riku, who also summons his keyblade, follows close behind along with the king, Donald, and Goofy.

Moments pass...but I can't move to join them. My feet seem to have turned to stone and my arms won't even move to bring out a weapon.

"Kid, don't just stand here!" Genie screams at me exasperatedly. "Do something!"

My heart pounds in my chest and my ribcage rattles. I can't even move my_ lips_. "I..."

_I don't want to help. _

Suddenly my heart slows, the beats echoing in my ears as loud enough to drown out the clanking of the keyblades and the blasts of magic in the fight...but quiet enough for a cold, sinister voice to whisper, _They don't need me. They can handle it. Besides, I'm injured from last night's dream. I should rest up so I recover quicker__._

"Imani!" King Mickey calls between clashes, his voice muffled. "Imani! What's wrong?"

_I'm not injured! These scorches look worse than they feel,_ I insist_,_ feeling my heart pick up pace again. A sheet of sweat covers my skin._  
_

_I don't have to help,_ the voice answers calmly and my heart nearly stops completely._ Why overdo things? They can handle it on their own._

Back and forth the voices—my panicked protests and the foreign sneers—argue, wrenching my heart between high-speed racing and barely-alive thumping. _They shouldn't have to do all the work. The Heartless will be defeated quicker if I help.  
_

_I don't _want _to help. _

"Imani!" Two big hands grasp my shoulders and give me a rough shake. "Pull yourself together!"

_I want to help! I'm going to help!_

_No I'm not! _I'm_ in control, not _you. Let them attack Sora and the others. They've caused me nothing but trouble. My friends can take care of them without my help.

_But Sora _is _my friend! _I stare in horror at the fight, my entire body frozen even as Genie tries to move me. _Sora and Riku and Goofy and Donald and the king and Jasmine and Aladdin! They _are _my friends! What friends are you...I mean, me...I...what friends are we talking about?_

"Imani! Behind you!"

_The Heartless, of course._

A rough push into my back sends me stumbling towards the fountain. I trip over myself and almost take a nosedive into the water, the wind knocked out of me from the low fountain wall and sharp pain searing in my knees and hands. My eyes clench shut as tears well up and my chest hacks and heaves agonizingly._ Who are you? _I demand of the voice. _Who _are _you?__  
_

A biting laugh so sharp it cuts into my core and digs in deep. _See for yourself._

As quickly as I can, I peel open my eyes and glimpse my reflection in the crystal-clear water...and stare in shock. My own face's image ripples with the waves, but I'm not huffing to catch my breath. I'm not on the verge of tears. I'm not coiling in pain. I'm _smiling_.

_I'm you,_ the cold voice in my head cackles as the reflection's lips move to mouth, _Ee-mah-nee._

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** Thank you for reading! Please review!


	24. Defy

**EDITED 6/22/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_"__Are you alright?"  
_

_Through blurry eyes I recognize pink hair and pale skin hovering over me.__ I groan both at the pain in my body and the realization of who my visitor this time is. My head hurts. I can hardly see. The smell of flowers everywhere is making me dizzy. I'm too tired to move._

___"Y__ou _aren't _alright, then?"_

_The throbbing in my head is killing me. "There's no need to show false concern for me," I grumble, shutting my eyes again.  
_

_"__False concern? I'm not _that _shallow."_

_"__Not to my face you aren't. __If I'm gone, so are you and any hopes you have of overtaking Organization XIII."_

_A pause. "I was going to offer my assistance to you."_

_"__So you can hold it above me and make me repay the favor?"_

_"__So you can move on in your journey and reincarnate the Superior."_

_I try moving my arms...and wince. "There you go again, saying Xemnas' title like the words leave a bitter taste in your big mouth," I sigh, pushing myself up into a sitting position.  
_

_"Rid yourself of your foolish assumptions before you make any false statements."_

_Dread pools in my stomach when I hear myself grunt, "You know I'm right."_

_Something nicks my neck. I open my eyes to find Marluxia's giant pink scythe hovering in front of my face. _

_"I prefer you speak to me more politely, seeing as I am above you."_

_"I'm sorry" sits on the tip of my tongue, but my mouths repeats incredulously as I tilt my head up to him, "Above me? Since Roxas left, you've got the second-lowest rank in the Organization."_

_He sneers, "You _have _no rank."_

_"Because I don't need one. I'm above _all _of you, including Xemnas. Without me to reincarnate him and transform you into a Somebody, you are nothing but a memory, and that's all you'll be if you don't cut your snotty attitude and _submit_."_

_I hold back a flinch, noticing the smugness lingering in my chest_—_quite close to my heart_—_and the way my voice suddenly sharpened. The dread in my stomach thickens uncomfortably. Where did _that_ come from?  
_

_"I _do_ submit," Marluxia snaps. "I want what's best for this organization and I will do what I can to ensure its success."_

_Before I know it, a harsh laugh explodes past my lips and my head shakes. "But that's the thing. There isn't anything you can do. _I'm _the one who's doing everything, so I suggest you put away your girly farm tool and do what Xemnas sent you to do, e-le-ven."_

_My eyes widen at Marluxia and I can't hold back the shiver running down my spine. I sound exactly like that cold voice I heard while I was in the courtyard with the Heartless. "I-I'm sorry, " I quickly apologize when I notice his eyes narrow into slits so thin I can hardly see the blue. "I didn't mean that. I_—_"_

_"If there is one thing I can report gladly," he states coldly, setting his scythe upright next to him, "at the rate you're consuming darkness, you will reincarnate the Superior very soon with no turning back. You will not have to think about destroying all the worlds and wallowing in your own guilt. The Superior will transform into your body and your being through your memories and your heart. You will become the Superior and bring the Organization back as Somebodies."_

_Dozens of questions sprout from beneath the guilt oozing over my brain. That's what's happening? That's the plan? That's how Xemnas plans to use me?_

_Another shudder erupts as I hear something humph, _Not if I have anything to say about it.

_"Marluxia, your shift is over." _

_I tear my eyes away from Marluxia. Axel peers down at us, jutting one hip out and placing a hand on it. Without another word, Marluxia departs in a flurry of petals. The flowery smell vanishes along with him and I shake my head slightly as if I'm trying to snap out of some strange daze I'd been in._

_"Maxiin?" Axel bends down to watch me closely. "You okay?"_

_I glance at him uneasily and nod. "Better than before."_

"_You're acting differently," he notes, plopping down beside me. "I saw the whole thing between you two."_

_With a sigh I avert my gaze. "You did, did you? You heard me say those things to him?"_

_"I nearly laughed when you called his scythe a 'girly farm tool.'"_

_"I didn't mean to. I didn't mean any of those things I said. I don't know what came over me," I confess quietly. "Even in the courtyard earlier, I lost control over myself."  
_

_"I saw that too. You had this glint in your eye that made you look cold..." He chuckles. "Cold and heartless."_

_Something clenches my heart painfully. "But why did that happen?" I moan, cradling my head with my hands. "What's wrong with me, Axel?"  
_

_"You're asking the wrong person...not that I think anyone can really answer that question." His coat rustles softly as he moves to lie down. "What I can tell you is that the darkness is taking up more space in your heart than the light is. That's good for us, since that means we'll get our hearts soon."_

_"But that means you'll destroy all the worlds. That means Sora and the others will have to deal with you guys again, and it'll be harder for them since you'll have hearts."_

_"Not our problem."_

_My arms drop away from my hanged head and I study the deepening creases in my fingerless gloves. "Isn't there a way I can do both?" I half-ask, half-plead aloud.  
_

_A pause. "Both?"_

_I turn to him with a cringe from the pain in my back. "Can't I give you your hearts _and _save the worlds from destruction somehow?"_

_He arches a thin eyebrow, eyeing me skeptically. "I don't know about that, kid."_

_"The one thing I don't know happens to be the thing I need to know the most to solve this entire mess." A sad smile creeps onto my face as I laugh breathlessly and turn to face the darkness before me.  
_

_"Who said you had to do both? Just reincarnate the Superior. Sora and the others can take care of themselves."_

_Just the slightest my head shakes. I'm not sure they can. The heart is powerful...and if Xemnas gets a hold of _mine_...  
_

_Aden, what do I do?_

"You're stronger than you think, you know. You stood up to those girls who were always bugging you. It takes a lot to face the odds headfirst like that, to _defy _the odds, and...heh, you have it." Aden smirks, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "You just don't use it as much as I think you should."

_I'm still not sure what "it" is, but if Aden saw it in me, I must have it. Maybe now's the time for me to use "it."  
_

_No, not "maybe." Now _is_ the time. I'm the Kismet Scribe, right? What kind of inscriber of destiny would I be if I couldn't defy odds like these?  
_

_I get on my feet, a new determination burning away the ugly something constricting my heart. "I'm going to find a way to do both before time runs out."_

_"You're _what?_" Axel scrambles to his feet, his jaw ajar and his eyes bugging out. "Maxiin, that's got to be more pointless than the 'experiment' you were so set on just a few days ago!"_

_"It's not pointless. I have to try."_

_"Jeez, just decide one or the other! It'll be too much work trying to find a solution like that!"_

_"If I let darkness rule my heart, the worlds will suffer for the destruction you'll cause. If I let light rule my heart, you'll never be able to get hearts of your own. Someone will always lose if I solve this mess that way."_

_"Maxiin_—_"_

_"I'm going to try find a compromise. I'm going to go wherever I need to go and do whatever I need to do to get you your hearts and protect the worlds. I know that if I at least try, I won't regret anything."_

_"So that's it, then. You just don't want to live with regret. That's pretty selfish of you."_

"_What's that matter to you?" I demand, heat clouding my brain from the spark of his accusation. "If I don't find a way, I'll end up destroying everything and the darkness will consume my heart anyway. You'll get your happy ending no matter what. If anyone is going to fret about this, it's Sora and the others."_

_"So you're saying you'd risk _their _lives to try find a way to save everyone?" he fires back. "What kind of a friend to them are you?"_

_"I'm a friend who refuses to settle for a second-best solution _and_ a friend who's choosing to _trust _Nobodies like _you_ in spite of the buddy-buddy-confide-in-me acts you put on in front of me!" I scream.  
_

_"You think I'm _acting?_"_

_"Why wouldn't you be? I'm a _tool _with a mind of my own! If you rub me the wrong way, you could risk changing my mind and losing your only chance to get your heart!"_

_"I _never _saw you as a tool! _Never!_"_

_"Then what did you see me as? A _toy?_"_

_"I saw you as the closest thing to a friend I've had since Roxas left!" he roars. "I still do!"_

_My mouth opens to spit out the snarl...but in an instant the words die on my lips. He's looking me straight in the eye. He's not lying.  
_

_"Zexion was right: you really are _self-centered_. You think you can do whatever you want just because you can," Axel growls. "You're just like Roxas."  
_

_I deflate, running my fingers through my hair. "If I'm supposed to be able to have the power to change destiny, why shouldn't I use it?" I ask through a tight jaw.  
_

_He scoffs, crossing his lanky arms. "__This is _stupid_. Sora and his friends are going to think you're out of your mind when you tell them your new plan. They're gonna think it's pointless and wrong."_

_"You're just saying that because you don't want to wait any longer." I glare at him. "You're tired of being heartless, just like Larxene and Marluxia and everybody else who's trapped here! I've been thrown into this tug-of-war between you Nobodies and the Somebodies! Who're you to say I'm selfish?"_

_The air suddenly gets much warmer. "Fine! I'll be the selfish one and say it!" he explodes. "I _AM _TIRED! I'm tired of seeing you jump from one side to the other! I'm tired of seeing you waste your time trying to make an obvious decision! I'm tired of waiting for you!"_

_"I never asked for _any _of this!" I shout back, my sore arms swinging madly. "I never asked to get all this power! I never asked to remember everything so clearly that my mind plays cruel tricks on me! Xemnas dumped this responsibility on me without giving me a say and here you are, expecting me to just decide one or the other right on the spot!"_

_"It's so SIMPLE!"_

_"No it ISN'T!"_

_"Maxiin_—_"_

_"WHY ARE YOU GIVING UP ON ME SO QUICKLY?" I scream, bending over as my voice rasps. "WHY WON'T YOU GIVE ME A CHANCE?"_

_He falls silent. I gasp for breath, my shoulders shaking and a familiar thickness jammed in my throat. His green eyes blur dangerously. _

_"It takes a lot to face the odds...__to _defy _the odds...and I _have _it, so don't give up on me," I plead brokenly. "__You need to give me a chance to _use _it."  
_

* * *

A splash to my face and I'm sputtering and jerking awake, my eyelids flying open.

"Imani!" Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and the king surround my bed while Jasmine quickly towels down my face. "Thank goodness you're awake," she sighs in relief.

The brunet sighs in relief, cracking a smile and burying his hand in his hair. "You fainted in the courtyard while we were fighting the Heartless. It was weird—"

"Imani?" Riku moves around Jasmine and narrows his eyes. "What's wrong?"

I can't answer. The thickness in my throat still remains as well as the tears pooling at my eyes. I can't breathe. I can't see. I can only shake my head.

"You idiot!" Donald squawks. "You startled her!"

Goofy protests, "She was tossing and turning! She looked like she was having a nightmare!"

My shaking fists curl into the sheets and I turn away from them, biting my lips and shutting my eyes tightly against the tears. My stomach quivers with the bottled-up wails struggling to get out. I just keep losing.

"Imani? Imani, are you okay?"

I lost Aden. I lost whatever trust Axel placed in me and when he tells the others, I'll lose whatever trust they might have put in me, too. I've been losing my mind from the moment I started having those dreams.

A hand pries away my clutched fist from the bed and a weight sinks down next to me. Another hand gently moves my head into a warm body and arms wrap around me, rocking me back and forth.

Axel was right. I'll surely lose the trust Sora and Riku and the others have put in me when I tell them.

"Shh...It's okay...You're okay, Imani..."

I bury my face in the crook of the person's neck and let myself hopelessly pretend Aden's the one holding me.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** Please leave a review! Thanks for reading!


	25. Reason

**EDITED 6/23/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thanks for reading this far!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

"It's so SIMPLE!"

_The words haunt my thoughts as I lie motionless, my eyes sore and my brain muddled. I couldn't care less if Heartless start to flood in._

"WHY ARE YOU GIVING UP ON ME SO QUICKLY?"

_Footsteps thud to a stop. I flip my head lazily. Two big dark boots. Another flop of my head to turn upwards. Sapphire eyes set deeply into a chiseled tan face. The tips of wavy brown hair flare out stiffly._

_Neither of us utter a word for several minutes before I groan and grumble my way onto my feet. Even after I stand up, though, he doesn't say anything._

_Lexaeus, the Silent Hero with an emphasis on "silent," my memories remind me. I sigh, rolling my head around to stretch out the kinks from looking up at the man awkwardly. Maybe it'd have been better if I stayed on the floor.  
_

_He leers down at me like a hawk, speechless and wary. _

_"Zexion still hasn't forgotten what I said, right?" I finally ask tentatively. "I...I really mean what I said...for you, too. For all of you, even for Larxene and Marluxia..."_

_I pause, just in case he's decided to talk. Instead, he merely shifts a little as if saying "Yes. I know. And?"_

_I bite my tongue and rack my brain for more things to say. The tense silence in the air weighs uncomfortably on my shoulders. "So...yeah."  
_

_Nothing. Not. One. Word.  
_

_I'm tempted to roll my shoulders or wave my arms around to dispel the tension. Lexaeus wins for being the most awkward Nobody who's visited me so far. _

_Oh! His eyebrow twitched!_

_...Ack. I think I said that out loud.  
_

_A nervous, humorless chuckle crawls from my mouth. "I mean...You know, I still don't know how you determine who visits me next. __Does Xemnas assign you certain dreams or does he draw names from a hat? Or is it whoever calls dibs?" I scoff at how ridiculous the idea sounds. "No, you must be assigned to come. I can't picture any of you wanting to deal with me of your own will." I arch an eyebrow at him. "_You _probably didn't want to come here...not after I blew up."_

_He blinks and turns his head to the side ever so slightly but neither confirms nor denies my assumption.  
_

_"I had a reason for blowing up, though. I didn't get a chance to tell Axel..." I sigh again, collapsing to the floor and hugging my legs to my chest. "I was too caught up in the argument...but __Larxene was right. I'm a tool...but I have free will, and maybe that's what's frustrating me. __If I confine myself to choosing just light or just darkness, I won't be Imani anymore. I'll become an incomplete being who threw away her other half_—_the half that helped define her__."_

_His coat rustles as I blink exasperatedly at myself. I feel like I'm talking to myself. Lexaeus could be tuning my babbling out for all I know._

_I have to say this, though. It'll weigh on my conscience heavier than the awful tension in the air. Aden always said the only way I would get better at expressing myself to others is by sharing without inhibitions.  
_

_I breathe in deeply before continuing, "__If I choose light, I'll save the worlds from total destruction and protect Sora and everyone else but you and the others won't have a chance at becoming Somebodies according to Xemnas' plans...and I don't want that. __I understand why you're doing this. I was a Nobody, too. I felt it, that awful emptiness. I _hated _it, even if it was only for a little while compared to the rest of you. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, not even you Organization members, no matter how much trouble you've caused. It makes me sad to think about it_—_all those years of _nothing_ you've experienced. That's why...because I have the power to _do _something about it, I really want to try giving you your hearts...or maybe even returning you to your Others if I can." I glance fleetingly at Lexaeus who's sat down beside me. "If that's what you'd prefer."_

_He only blinks calmly._

"_No preference? Well, I can't guarantee anything, anyway, so maybe it's good that you don't get your hopes up."_

_Without cracking a smile he gives a quiet breathless laugh through his nose and a spark of amusement lights up his eyes. With that spark, the almost-suffocating tension dissipates. I chance a small smile. _

_"On the other hand, I'd betray Sora and Riku if I choose darkness or wait for the time-bomb to go off in me. I'd betray everyone I've met as a Somebody, and they don't deserve that. They're the last people who deserve something like that." I glance away, guilt oozing over my head. "I can tell they're struggling_—_Sora and Riku and Donald and Goofy and the king. They don't know what's going to happen, and they know I don't, either, but they trust me all the same, just like I asked them to. I don't have the heart to hurt them. You'll get your hearts, though, if I choose darkness, but Xemnas will take over my being and I won't exist anymore. I'll be nothing but a memory and a discarded tool." I laugh halfheartedly. "Of course, I don't think that would matter to any of you. You'll be happy to be Somebodies and too busy to creating a new utopia to dwell on it."  
_

_He says nothing.  
_

_"So...I hope you understand my reasons a _little_ more clearly now," I mumble awkwardly, lowering my head to rest on my knees. "I don't blame you for thinking it's self-centered. Axel had a point when he said that..."__  
_

_"__Compromise is not selfish."_

_His deep voice startles me a little and I have to wonder for a moment if I really ever heard anything at all. I don't dare say anything in case I didn't.  
_

_"__Compromise is not selfish," he repeats patiently. "While Axel was right in pointing out that you are choosing to risk your friends' lives, he failed to see that you are also risking rejection and distrust from either Sora's side or our side. You are willing to endure the sudden changes you've been put through to fight for the lives of people you met only a few days. You are willing to set aside your own desires to see your brother and escape the responsibility you've been given. You choose to rally rather than settle for the bad hand you've been dealt."_

_I stare at him and my jaw hangs in awe. I've never heard him say so much at once...and he's the first Nobody to actually _support _me._

_"__Compromise is not selfish, Imani," he concludes, proceeding to get up off the floor. "Not the compromise _you _plan to seek out, despite how foolish it is."_

_Correction: to _somewhat _support me.__  
_

_I manage to nod and hastily stand up as he opens a portal. "I...Thanks."_

_He pauses, peering over his shoulder expectantly._

_"Thanks," I say again, clasping my hands before me. "I...I'll do my best."  
_

_Lexaeus blinks and rumbles, "I'd be concerned if you give any less."_

_I allow a small smile as he disappears. I can't believe how well that went over...  
_

_Wait. Did...Did he call me "Imani?"

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought:** Please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	26. Command

**EDITED 6/23/2010**

**Author's Comments: **thanks for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Slight pressure between my eyes, sagging shoulders, and my heavy heart have been my reminders since waking up that I have to tell them. I can't let my fear glue my mouth shut. I'll tell them exactly what I told Lexaeus. If _he's_ willing to kind of support me, then I can hope that Sora and Riku and the others might continue to support me, too.

_Right._ I breathe in deeply and try to straighten up my posture. _I'll tell them...later._

"The Heartless must be following you," the king says after we've said goodbye to Jasmine, Aladdin, and Genie and started to head to a light portal outside the city walls. "That means that if we stay in one place for too long, we'll put others around us in danger, too. If this keeps up, they'll overtake you and the darkness will seep in. We need to keep moving so the darkness won't have a chance."

I nod. "Where are we going now?"

"We decided we'd try Halloween Town," Sora chirps happily as we stroll onto the streets of the colorful marketplace.

A shudder shakes my body despite the warm air hovering around us. Halloween Town. Ghosts. Specters. Dismembered bodies. Things popping out suddenly.

Despite the familiar sticky uneasiness pooling in my stomach, I nod again. It can't be _that_ bad.

Goofy guffaws. "We'll get to wear those cool costumes."

"Yeah!" Donald nods, his eyes lit with excitement. "I get to be a mummy and see through my stomach!"

The king laughs. "That sounds swell! But remember, we have a job to do!"

Both Donald and Goofy salute stiffly, smacking their hands to their foreheads. "Yessir—"

Loud sucking and swirling noises boom around us. In seconds, Heartless of different shapes and sizes spring up from the ground and burst into being in midair, surrounding the six of us in tightly-knit a circle.

_Ah, my friends. _

My heart seizes up. That voice is back.

The sound of clanking metal erupts as everyone withdraws his weapon. "The sooner we get out of here, the better!" Sora shouts. "Get to the portal!"

I give my head a slight shake as my heart steadily begins to beat again. This time, I _will _fight.

_Hmph._

With a flick of my wrists and a lot of focus to ignore the way my heart halts for a split-second, I slip knives into the spaces between my fingers and dart forth, slashing and throwing and electrocuting.

_What's the rush? They just got here._

My faltering heart forces a gasp from me and a slight dip in my speed. _Stop talking._

"We're almost there!"

Our distance from the doors steadily shortens, but then a Fat Bandit Heartless stomps in front of me, winding up for a whirlwind of punches. I wind my own arm across my chest and set my eye on the bandit's small head—

_Stop._

A powerful current courses through my muscles and I can't move anything at all. My twisted abdomen and my compressed lungs ache, begging for release from the constriction. My thighs burn in their frozen position mid-lunge. The energy I prepared for my throw hums in my veins impatiently.

_The battle is not with the Heartless._

_W-What?_

The brightly-colored stalls and the sandstone buildings budge to my left before my eyes. Sand crunches beneath my feet as I find myself being shifted like a still figurine to face away from the Fat Bandit Heartless and towards the brunet-spiked boy dashing my way with his hand reaching out for me.

My heart stops. _No._

_Go._

I watch in horror as my arm whips out and my fingers uncurl, sending all four knives flying at Sora. My head spins and I trip over my feet dizzily, praying that I missed him while falling onto my hands and knees and gasping for breath. I squeeze my eyes shut.

_Weakling._

"Let's go, Imani!" Strong hands clutch my upper arms and literally drag me off. I can barely hear the doors slam shut above my body's screams of pain and the anguished cries spilling from my lips. When the hands let go, my legs crumble beneath me and I collapse headfirst into the sand.

Someone shouts. Angrily. At me, I think. I don't care. Pinpoints and needles poke every inch of my sweaty skin. Vines and snakes squeeze and constrict my limbs until my pulse drums loud enough to ring in my ears along with my erratically beating heart. My insides are being wrung out like towels. It all hurts so _badly_. I can't breathe without aggravating the pain.

_I'm almost ashamed to be you._

A pair of arms scoop me up from the ground and my head lolls onto a shoulder. It _hurts..._

_Pathetic._

* * *

_"This is a first.__ I don't think she's ever _slept _here before." _

_"__Yeah. Who sleeps in their dreams? That's stupid."  
_

_I stifle a groan. Luxord and Xigbar. Their voices are starting to grate on my patience and they've only just arrived._

_"__We need to awaken her."_

_"__I'm awake," I mumble. "I'm just resting my eyes. I'm fine."_

_"__Right." Leather rustles and the voice nears my ear. "You're _fine_. You didn't just almost _die _out there or nearly gouge Sora's face."_

_A wave of guilt crashes down on me. "Please don't bring that up."_

_"Bring what up? The nearly dying part or the nearly puncturing Sora part?"_

_"Xigbar,_ stop._" __Peeling my eyes open, I glare at Xigbar's smirking scarred face through the strands of hair covering mine. "Please."_

_Gloved fingertips brush away my hair. Xigbar's uncovered eye gleams mischievously. "Touchy. I'm just playing with ya, kid."  
_

_"We've no time to play," Luxord mutters. "These bouts of lost control are becoming a grave concern. We must determine the cause quickly lest Maxiin's power  
_

_The fire of my barely-contained panic flares up, spreading throughout my core. "__You don't know what's causing this?"_

_"__Not even the Superior knows," Xigbar shrugs, "and he, you know, _created _you."_

_"_Xemnas _doesn't know? Then how can we fix this?"_

_"_We?_ Oh no. _We—_" Xigbar rockets up to stand with Luxord and wag a finger between them, "_—_are nothing more than _memories_."  
_

_"__Fixing it is out of our hands. It is your affair to take care of," the other Nobody declares.  
_

_"_M-My _affair?" I cry. "__But I don't know what's going on!__"__  
_

_"__Wrong, Maxiin. You are the Kismet Scribe." Luxord peers down at me with his arms crossed. "You hold all memories, and within those memories lie the answers."_

_"__How do you know that?" I demand, pushing myself from the ground with a wince. "You just said you don't know what's going on and now you're telling me how to figure out the cause of all this? Make up your mind! _Do _you or _don't _you know what's happening to me?"_

_"__We don't," he answers as he spins on his heels, "but you do."_

_"Will you quit it with the cryptic allusions?"_

_"__Confront yourself for the answers. Simple enough for you?"_

_"What does that _mean?_"__  
_

_"__Just try it, Maxiin," Xigbar suggests loftily, saluting and disappearing in a burst of dark miasma._

_Bundles of pressure squeeze behind my eyes and I reach up to massage them away frustratedly. Just as Luxord walks a distance away, I suddenly remember. "Wait. There's something else I want to ask."_

_He sighs, but stops anyway. "What?"_

_"__Why did Lexaeus call me 'Imani'?"_

_"I__ don't know. I'm not Lexaeus."_

_"__Then ask him for me and if he isn't coming to visit me next, tell whoever is coming that they have to give me his answer," I hurriedly call as he vanishes. _

_With Luxord, the last of my strength leaves me. My knees fall out and I lie back down on the floor, closing my eyes and sighing. Aden, I don't know if I can handle all of this.  
_

* * *

My headache is what wakes me up. Thankfully, the pain feels like it's died down a lot since we were in Agrabah. I push myself upright, glancing around dank and cold the room I'm in. Dozens of vials cover the tables and tubes weave all over the place. The smell of chemicals saturates the air. Grimy tiles line walls and books lay strewn everywhere.

I look down and my eyes widen. Four thick leather straps dangle from the edges of the table I'm sitting on. My stomach churns, a stickiness gathering at the pit.

"You're awake," a squeaky disappointed voice notes.

I jump, scrambling off the table and whirling around.

"I've heard a great deal about you from Sora," a tiny man with a big head, a beak-like mouth, and beady goggles cackles across the room. "His description of your mind and body leaves me fascinated."

_Dr. Finkelstein. _My hands shake and I gulp audibly.

"I was hoping I could examine you." His wheelchair creaks as he makes his way over with a disturbing smile. "I'd _love _to see what makes you _tick_."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Thank you for reading! Please review!


	27. Spook

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **I just realized that these chapters are getting super short...Hope you still enjoy reading, though!

**Disclaimer: **I do not Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Sora tries to console through the creaky closet door separating us, "Imani, you know Dr. Finkelstein was joking."

"I _really _have to question that." I cross my arms and hunch my shoulders protectively. My stomach feels so jittery I'm afraid I'll start convulsing if I don't literally hold myself together.

"Please come out, Imani. You've been in there for fifteen minutes already."

"I'm willing to make it twenty."

"Don't you wanna meet Jack?"

An image of the tall skinny skeleton man pops into my head—his hollow eyes narrowed and his evil-looking grin splitting his skull-like head.

I shudder _again_ and clap a trembling hand over my mouth to silence the "eep" threatening to burst from my lips.

"You know," Riku's voice says casually, "I thought I heard Dr. Finkelstein mention that there was an unfinished experiment of his in that closet."

My breath catches in my throat and my eyes widen.

"Really?" Goofy asks. "What kind of experiment?"

"I didn't hear all the details," I hear Riku shake his head, "but I think he said something about a werewolf and a bunch of spiders."

I swallow thickly. Werewolf? Spiders?

"He said the spiders are bigger than your head, Sora, which is saying something."

"Hey! I don't have a big head!"

"Scary!" Donald exclaims. "Do you see anything like that in there, Imani?"

"U-Uh..." Nothing but the crack under the door gives a dark greenish glow to the closet. Even if I had more light, I don't want to look.

"Of course, the werewolf isn't alive," Riku states matter-of-factly.

I sigh, allowing my muscles to relax a little. Of course it isn't.

"But I think the spiders are...and I don't think they're contained—"

I snatch the doorknob and throw it open, bolting out the door and straight into into Riku's chest. Several voices laugh as I back away enough to dash behind Riku. "Not funny," my voice cracks pathetically.

"I was joking. There's nothing there." Riku steps to the side. "See?"

Prying one eye open, I glance around him into the open closet. Nothing but a dingy mop, a broom with its bristles sticking out at all angles, and a bunch of buckets sit inside. "Some teammates _you_ guys are, lying to me like that," I grumble.

"Sorry. We had to get you to come out _somehow_."

I tear my eyes from the closet to look at everyone and their new, more ghoulish get-ups. "Nice clothes," I comment as more sticky dread wells up in my stomach. The jitters only serve to spread it around disgustingly. If any of them decide to try scaring me, they'd succeed without even having to say "boo" or wave their hands around their heads.

"You look creepy," Sora says with a grin as the king offers a mirror. "Take a look."

When I peek at my reflection, I nearly drop the mirror. Black shadows my eyes and dots my nose, and wiry whiskers curl from my cheeks. Are those_...cat ears _on my head?

I glance down. Black and white replace my usual purples. My gloves now cover my entire hand, the fingertips pointed in slight curves like claws. A bell choker around my neck tinkles whenever I move.

"You have a tail, too," the king grins, holding it up for me to see. "Your costume is really cool, Imani!"

I smile halfheartedly, wondering how I didn't notice any of this earlier. "T-Thanks, I guess."

"Let's introduce you to Jack," Sora proposes. "He's been wanting to meet you ever since we came."

Reluctantly I follow everyone outside to the Guillotine Plaza, the blood draining from my face with each step. There's the guillotine. And the acidic green fountain. And the attacking gate by the presents. And the poisonous grates. And—

"HELLO!" a joyful voice booms and I jump with a cry. Jack Skellington waltzes over with arms wide open and a too-friendly smile on his round face. "You must be Imani! I'm Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King!"

My hands are shaking again. "H-Hi."

"Oh now, don't be shy! Any friend of Sora's is welcome here!" He gives a jolly laugh.

I chuckle nervously, tugging my lips into a smile until my cheeks hurt. How I wish I could go unconscious right now.

"How about a tour of Halloween Town?" Spindly fingers wrap around my arm firmly and he tugs me along without waiting for an answer. "Of course, I'm sure you know it like the back of your hand already!"

There's no way this is going to go well.

* * *

I throw myself onto the soft bed face down and _groan._ No one in Halloween Town really sleeps so Santa Claus is letting us stay at his workshop. Jack made us promise to return first thing tomorrow morning. Sora, to my unspoken dismay, had answered, "Of _course _we will!"

I groan louder. I thought I'd faint after every "surprise" Jack gave me and several hallucinations of ghost-like Heartless with their eyeballs hanging from their sockets and huge brightly colored dragon-like Heartless led to several near-heart attacks. All those Heartless might as well have been real; I'd have freaked out just the same.

A knock on the door snaps me out of my miserable thoughts. I roll over as Riku slips inside and shuts the door behind him. "You're not too good with spooky stuff, are you?" he says right off the bat.

I sigh, sitting up while curling my tail so that it rests on my lap. "Unfortunately."

"You should've said something back when we were in Agrabah."

"I figured there was a reason you all decided to come here."

"Well, yeah, there _was_." The bed dips as he sits next to me with a sigh. "I wanted to get back at Sora. I thought scaring him here would top his Genie act."

"Sorry we ended up here instead."

"It's probably better this way. There seems to be less darkness here."

I nod slowly as the tip of my tail flicks back and forth in my fingers. "Right."

"Actually, Halloween Town doesn't seem as chaotic as Agrabah was. Both times it was broad daylight when those Heartless attacked." His suspicious jade eyes seem to pop more with the dark shadows outlining them. "And both times you were acting weird."

I catch his glance and my tail stills. The moment's come. Taking a deep breath and gathering the determination to fuel my courage, I look Riku in the eye. "There's something I need to talk to everyone about."

He studies me for a moment before getting up and heading to the door. "Let me go get the others."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Please leave a review! Thanks for reading!


	28. Meeting

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Wow. This chapter is super short. Ack. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_My eyes widen at the blue-haired, cross-scarred man standing before me. "Saix."_

_"__You are spiraling out of our control, Maxiin," he immediately tells me. "If you cannot learn to control yourself soon, you will destroy everything."_

_"T__hat's easy for you to say," I sigh while mentally marveling at how quickly he got to the point. "I don't know why this is happening."  
_

_"Look to your memories and what you do know. Luxord has also suggested you confront yourself."  
_

_"Even if I knew how to do that, I don't know what good it'll do."_

_"__You said you'd do whatever is required to give us our hearts and prevent the destruction of the worlds. I hardly see how limiting yourself with your 'I don't know's fits into that declaration you made."  
_

_While I shrink slightly at the truth of his accusation, a flicker of warmth ignites in my chest. "Is that your way of saying you trust me?__"_

_"Your recent development leaves us with no choice but to rely on you, despite the great possibility that you will _fail_," Saix mutters darkly. "You were named the Kismet Scribe at birth for a reason. Now is the time to live up to your title."_

_My eyes widen as his words burn into my mind. The gravity of my request crashes down on me. I asked for a chance...and now they're giving it to me.  
_

_It's a heavy burden to take on, but I said I'd do it and I will. _

_"Thank you," I say to him. "It...It means a lot to me that you're taking this leap of faith on my behalf."  
_

_For a long while Saix says nothing, choosing to study me warily as if sizing me up against the challenge I've brought upon myself. Finally he murmurs, "Lexaeus would not give an answer to your question, but 'Imani' is the name you adopted to signify the new beginning you hoped you'd have, is it not?"_

_I mull over the thought as he disappears. "Imani" is my Somebody name while "Maxiin" was my Nobody name. Did Lexaeus call me "Imani" as a sign he's accepted that I am a Somebody_—_a being made of both light _and _darkness? A being who's connected to _both? _A being with a heart that _isn't_ provisional? _

_Someone who _isn't _a tool or a toy? A _person?

_I can't stop smiling and my heart feels so light and warm. I feel like laughing out loud or spinning around in circles until I get dizzy_—

Your foolish grin makes me want to gag.

_My head snaps up and my heart freezes over. "Where are you?" I call out into the darkness.  
_

I told you already. I'm _you_.

_With the stranger's voice my heart stops completely but with my voice it jumps to life. "__What does that mean? Xemnas doesn't know what you are and how you're controlling me. He's the one who created me. How can he not know part of his creation?"_

Xemnas is not perfect, though he claims otherwise. Many a creator has produced something he does not fully understand. I'm sure you can think of other instances.

_Instantly the images of a younger Riku in a strange dark suit and a short-haired Kairi-faced girl wearing an Organization coat pop into my mind.__ "__Can you at least give me a name to call you?" I ask._

Foolish _and _finicky, _the voice __scoffs__. _You may call me Maxiin.

_"__But _I'm _called Maxiin."_

I thought you wished to be recognized as a Somebody—a being of both light _and _darkness. A being who's connected to _both_. A being with a heart that _isn't_ provisional.

_Those words, heavily-drenched in sarcasm, land solid hits on my pride. "What are you? How are you controlling me?"_

I am the embodiment of darkness within you, to put it simply, _Maxiin drawls, _and discovering how I control you is unnecessary.

_"__The embodiment_—_"_

I'm tired of putting up with you.

_Before I can respond my voice is drowned out by the vortex racket announcing the arrival of tonight's Heartless._

_

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **Please review! Thank you for reading!


	29. Believe

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Ever since waking up, I've been drowning in my thoughts. The voice told me to call it "Maxiin," which is my Nobody's name, and it told me it was the embodiment of the darkness within me. Master Yen Sid mentioned something about possibly reverting back to my Nobody if I wasn't careful.

Is that what's happening? Am I becoming a Nobody again? That explains why my heart stops beating every time that cold voice speaks._  
_

But then why doesn't Xemnas know what's going on? Would he show concern if I was reverting back into my Nobody? Doesn't he want darkness to fully consume me so that he can return? Isn't that the whole reason he let me escape and become a Somebody?

And then I remember: I didn't insult others or call the Heartless my friends when I was a Nobody. I was locked up in a white room. All I focused on, day in and day out, was my nothingness, not darkness. I wasn't aware if I had darkness in me—watching memories record in my brain was too distracting.

No. This has to be different. The darkness _inside_ me is what's overpowering me. Could my memories have anything to do with this? My body reacts and I hallucinate when I remember particularly powerful memories. What memory could overpower my mind so vividly that I lose myself?

Ah! Va—

"BOO!"

I shriek and slap my hands to my face, the claws on my fingertips grazing my skin. The three troublemakers cackle and dart off to think up another way to scare me half to death—again.

"Scaredy-cat! Scaredy-cat!" the three kids taunt mercilessly and I groan. It doesn't help that I happen to be dressed up as a cat, either, as the nickname has stuck since meeting them. I got so close to coming up with a possible answer this time, too...

"Don't take it so seriously," Jack coaxes, placing a bony hand on my shoulder. "They're just playing. You should be delighted that they've taken a liking to you."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I'm sure they have.

With a flourish he proceeds with his tour of the graveyard and I tune him out. I still haven't come up with a solution that protects the worlds and gives the Nobodies their hearts, either. I'm just relieved that Sora, Riku, the king, Donald, and Goofy have decided to stick by my side, even after I told them my crazy plan.

"You told us to trust you," Sora answered for everyone this morning at breakfast. "If we can't do that, then what are we doing here?"

Jack strides around in the graveyard as he happily reminisces the dearly departed. The only way I find myself coping with the creepiness is by keeping my eyes shut half the time and distracting myself with these dilemmas.

"Isn't it all marvelous?" Jack's laughter booms. "I love being here!"

Despite my jitters in my stomach, I pry open my eyes and take a moment to just watch him breeze between gravestones. How can he be so happy in such a dark place? How does he embrace light and yet constantly keep up a dark demeanor? How does he balance both so easily?

Wait. Balance both? Like a compromi—

"BOO!"

Again I shriek and cover my face. The three troublemakers had stacked themselves on each others' shoulders and disguised themselves with a cloak and a gruesome mask. They loom above me by at least a few inches, the twisted fanged smile of the mask level with my face. "H-Haven't you had enough?" I rasp.

"Scaredy-cat! Scaredy-cat!" they sneer.

"Now, now, you three," our long-legged host gently chides, "don't cause trouble for Imani. She's already got a lot to handle without you scaring her."

I bet he secretly thinks its funny, too.

"Run along now!" Jack dismisses them.

As they dash off, I clear my throat (and wince in pain) before turning to Jack. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything!" he exclaims. "You are our guest and a friend of Sora's! I would be honored to fulfill any request you have."

I take a breath but stop. Oh great. I don't know how to ask without possibly insulting Halloween Town...at least, I might _sound_ like I'm insulting Halloween Town, especially after Jack's given us an _extensive_ tour.

"Anything at all!"

"U-Um," I stutter, mentally smacking myself. "You've lived here a while, haven't you?"

He throws his arms open. "Yes! I love it here. Of course, I visit Christmas Town as well to offer my assistance to Sandy Claws, too."

"Of course," I nod. "But...even though you're _here_, you're always happy and _light_."

"Because I'm happy to be here!"

"Y-yeah, but...but _here_..."

"Here? Is something wrong with being here and being happy?"

"No!" I almost shout. "No! Of course not!"

"Then what's the problem?"

Of all the times to come up blank. "I-It's just..."

"I think what she means to ask is how you balance the light and darkness in your heart, even though you're always in a place shrouded in darkness like Halloween Town."

I gape at the smug look on Riku's face. How did he do that? He's not even the one trying to figure out how to work a compromise.

"Oh, is that all?" Jack laughs. "It's quite simple, really. I just _remember_."

"Remember?" I repeat, tilting my head. "Remember what?"

"Everything!" he cries eagerly. "The times I've laughed or cried, my triumphs and my failures, my friends...everything! I remember everything, and I _believe _in the person I am today _because _of those memories."

I blink, trying to wrap my mind around what he's saying. "Believe..."

Jack bends down to my level. "Certainly, not everything I remember is pleasant. I have my own dark memories, as does everyone. It isn't the memories we necessarily need to rely on but the process of shaping and molding ourselves according to those memories, no matter how light or dark they are. After all, there is both light and darkness in everyone."

"Right..." I nod uncertainly.

Jack nods. "Do you understand, Imani?"

"I...think so..." I concede, my heart sinking with each passing moment.

"Good!" He resumes his full height with a smile that no longer seems as fake as I once thought. "I'm glad you do! It's bound to be important to remember, isn't it? Especially for you."

"BOO!"

An angry string of quacks streams from Donald as he chases Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Goofy and the king watch on the side, bending over in their laughter.

"Shall we return back to town?" Jack suggests.

"Sure! I'm starving!" Sora immediately walks beside Jack down the dirt pathway.

"Next time, just say it." Riku tugs on a whisker before following everyone back.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** I thought this one came out pretty well, considering Imani did some thinking without excessive amounts of sap. What'd you think? Please review!


	30. Color

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **You know, whenever I write out the disclaimer part, I always accidentally write "I do not own Imani." I think I just subconsciously want to own Kingdom Hearts. Hah. :P Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_Right away I sit myself on the ground, crossing my legs and arms. Jack did a good job answering my question, and I think he's right when he says remembering and believing are two key actions I need to keep in mind. I just don't know how I can work that into my current dilemma._

_Jack said it was simple, but that's because he's a Somebody. He can balance light and darkness because he _has _light and darkness in him. Nobodies have neither. How can a Nobody become a Somebody, then? How can a Nobody acquire light and darkness?_

"I just _remember_."

_What memories can they remember? All they know is nothingness. They might be able to remember a few memories of their Somebodies, but would that be enough? _

"I _believe _in the person I am today _because _of those memories."

_Wouldn't it be painful to reminisce being torn apart from their Somebodies and thrust into this empty existence, utterly lacking the thing that defined them? Who would want to believe in himself when he literally has nothing? _

"Certainly, not everything I remember is pleasant...It isn't the memories we necessarily need to rely on but the process of shaping and molding ourselves according to those memories, no matter how light or dark they are."

_But they've had nothing to shape and mold themselves against. They have nothing to look back on. They can't reminisce and smile and think to themselves, "I remember that, and I'm glad that happened. That helped make me the person I am today and I'm proud of that."_

_The weight of the problem sits heavily on my shoulders and I slump, my head cradled in my hands. This is so frustrating..._

_"__Hey."_

_"__What?" I answer, making no effort to identify the voice. As long as it isn't Maxiin..._

_A pause. "__Never mind. You're busy, obviously." Footsteps behind me begin to shuffle away._

_I whip my head over my shoulder, the head-rush sending stars in my vision for a moment. Red. "Axel."_

_He halts, his back turned to me. "What?"  
_

_"__I'm sorry."_

_Axel's broad shoulders rise and fall with his sigh. "I know."_

_"__About now, I mean. And last time."_

_"__I know."_

_"__Right..." I trail off, studying his back thoughtfully. Does he...?  
_

_"_I_s that it?" He tilts his head to the side lazily. "If so, I'm gone."_

_A little startled, I gawk, "You don't have anything to tell me?"_

_"__You're supposed to be confronting Maxiin and finding a _compromise_, right? I don't wanna be in the way.__"_

_"Y-Yeah, but_—_"_

_"Later, then." _

_Something clenches in my gut and my heart begins to pound. I don't want to ask. We just made up. We're okay now._

_Dammit, I have to. I hate to but I have to. I can't back down I have to I have to I havetoIhaveto_—

_He steps with more haste than before, extending a hand in front of him_—

_"__Do you remember?" I blurt._

_Once again he stops. "Do I remember _what?_" he prompts softly._

_Don't back down. With a grim stare to his back, I say as clearly and fearlessly as I can, "You know what."_

"_Say it." He balls his fists. "I dare you to say it out loud." _

_I knew it. I shouldn't have said anything. I should have just let him go but I can't back down I _can't _he means too much to me they all do_—

"_SAY IT!" His voice booms like a shot pistol in a library._

_I fist my own trembling hands and clench my jaw. My heart beats against my ribcage and my stomach twists and jumps and churns. Not once do I allow myself to glance away from his back.  
_

I. Can't. Back. Down. I_refuse_tobackdownI—

_Heat crushes me from all angles in a split-second. Bright oranges, reds, and yellows flare up everywhere amidst billows of dark smoke. And then_—_green._

_"__WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT?" he barks in my face, a hand suspending me above ground by a fistful of my shirt. The heat from his palm, however effortlessly it seeps through the clothing, can't compare to the fire blazing in his eyes. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?"_

_"__You know what I'm trying to do!" I cough, the smoke burning in my lungs._

_"__YOU _DARE _ASK ME THAT?"_

_"__What else am I supposed to do?"_

_"__USE YOUR _OWN _STUPID MEMORIES!"_

_"_My _memories won't work! It won't work that way!"_

_"__AT LEAST YOU _HAVE _MEMORIES!" He throws me down roughly, towering over me with a chakram spike digging into my neck. "You _know _how you became you. You can recall how you got your happy ending," he sneers._

_I glare up at him through stinging_—_tearing_—_eyes. "I'm doing this for _you!_ I want _you _to get your happy ending!"_

_"__Then just give into the darkness and reincarnate the Superior!"_

_"__It's not that simple!"_

_"It IS simple! It was always simple!"_

_"__Not since I became a Somebody!"_

_"__It's _because _you're a Somebody that it's simple!"_

_"__Oh, right! It's because I can lose myself and Xemnas will bring you back with my power! It's because I need only surrender and be happy for you! It won't matter that I'll no longer exist! You won't care! You'll be too delighted to have a heart of your own, after all these years!"_

_Whatever retort he had dies on his lips. Axel simply stares in shock._

_"_Selfish_," I hiss._

_Something flickers in his wide green eyes as the flames die down and the heat recedes. His shoulders and arms, taut with anger, slowly sag and drop to his sides._

_Sweet, sweet air brings relief to my lungs. "You _don't_ know. I feel like I'm repeating myself."_

_"__Then spell it out for me," he demands._

_I swallow, my throat becoming painfully tight. "I am the Kismet Scribe. I have power over destiny and I will do whatever I need to do in order to find a way to work everything out. I refuse to settle for anything less. Commit it to memory."_

_"You're being difficult."_

_"You have to trust me."_

_"__I can't!" he growls, thrusting a dagger into my heart and twisting it with every word he says. "You don't know what you're doing! Do you even know what you were trying to accomplish by asking me such a stupid question?"_

_"__Yes I do!" I snap. "I know it hurts, but it could be the only way you can become a Somebody!"_

_"__We're Nobodies, stupid! We can't feel hurt!"_

_"__Then why did you get so angry? Why did you explode on me?"_

_That flicker returns for a second, leaving just as fast as it came. "I was _acting _angry, obviously. That's how Somebodies act when someone asks them gets on their nerves."_

_"__Liar," I spit. "You've never shouted that loudly before. Not as _Axel_, anyway."_

_"__It was an _act!_"  
_

_"__Those flames soared higher than I've ever seen. You were _furious_ and you know it."_

_"__What's that supposed to say then, huh?"_

_I huff, rolling my eyes. "Don't you get it? Remembering makes you more of a Somebody!"_

_...Wait. What?_

_We stare at each other, dumbfounded by my words. "What did I just say?" I ask numbly._

_"'__Remembering makes you more of...a Somebody'..." he repeats, just as awestruck as I am._

_"Where...Where did that come from?" I whisper to myself._

_Axel snaps out of the daze first, sighing and turning to leave. "This is why I can't trust you, Imani. You don't know what you're doing."_

_I lie in my stupor...and then gasp, sitting up and tenting my knees. "You called me Imani, too!"_

_"__So what?" He keeps walking._

_"__Lexaeus called me Imani, and Saix said_—_"_

_"__Just _stop_." Flames of miasma lick at his body as he mutters, "I shouldn't have come here..."_

_An excruciating ache settles in my chest as I cradle my head in my hands once more, my breaths sharpening into sobs. For the first time in what feels like ages, I find myself wishing Aden would wake me up from this nightmare.  


* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **Thanks for reading! Please review!


	31. Control

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Again with the shortness of my chapter. Hope you still enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Heavy footsteps halt at my bedside and a wide shadow rises against the pinstriped wall. "If you aren't sick, Imani, you should go outside," a gentle voice with a hint of worry tells me. "The fresh air will do you good, and it's a perfect day for making snowmen."

My hair rustles against the pillow as I shake my head. "That's okay, Santa. Thanks, though."

He hums thoughtfully. "Well, I brought something to eat, in case you're hungry," he concedes in disappointment.

"Thank you." I watch Santa's shadow waver hesitantly before retreating. Bed is the best place to be right now. I have to fall back asleep so I can work on getting the organization members to remember. Unfortunately, falling back asleep is much more difficult when I'm not actually sleepy.

_Obviously, you foolish girl._

Plus, I won't encounter any Heartless, so Maxiin can't take control of me and do something dangerous. She can still talk to me, though...

_I can control you now if I wanted to. _

Her voice is part of the reason I can't fall asleep, to be honest.

_I can read your thoughts_—

_I know._

Everyone else is in Halloween Town with Jack. I said I didn't feel up to going anywhere today. I can't handle those three troublemakers anymore. It's hard enough dealing with Maxiin's voice, and it's only _talking_.

_You're beginning to get on my nerves, child._

_Then please leave me alone. _I plead with a sigh, shutting my eyes tight and feeling my stomach churn with each sudden switch-on, switch-off of my heart. _I'm trying to sleep._

_No. I don't want to sleep. _

Without warning my upper eyelids pull themselves up and I force down a groan. _But _I _do. I want to sleep._

_What you want doesn't matter. I have control._

My eyes begin to water. _At least let me blink!_

_No. _

_Just once? Let me close my eyes just once! Please!_

A sigh. _Fine. _

Relief washes over my eyes as Maxiin's hold releases. All too soon, though, relief turns to panic.

_What are you doing? _I demand as my arms throw the thick quilt off my body and my legs swing over the edge against my control. As if it weren't enough, my eyelids feel like they're being held down by paperweights. No matter how much I lift my eyebrows, I can't open my eyes.

_I am granting your request. _

I stand abruptly. _My eyes won't open! And I don't want to get out of bed!_

_You will once you realize what's happening. _

"Imani!" A door bursts open and Santa's heavy footsteps thunder nearby. "Sora and the others are fighting Heartless in Halloween Town!"

"What?" I gasp. The voice chuckles in my head.

"Yes! And one of the elves saw something lurking around outside the shop!" He moans. "What do we do?"

"I'll...I'll go take care of it. Don't worry."

_Without your eyesight?_

"Are...Are you alright, Imani? Why won't you open your eyes?"

"I-I'm fine!" I quickly answer, shuffling around my feet for my shoes. "I'll be fine! I'm just...practicing my reflexes and...stuff. Closing my eyes helps me strengthen my other senses."

_Except your common sense._

"Do you need help with your shoes?"

"No! No, I got it." I jam my shoes on partially, slam into Santa on my way out the door, tumble down the stairs, trip over at least six elves, walk into countless walls, and finally shove open the front door. For once, my sharp memory serves me some clear purpose.

"Will you please stop it already?" I beg Maxiin aloud, the cold brisk air scraping against the insides of my throat.

_Why? I like watching chaos, especially when _I'm _the source. _

"You can see even when my eyes are glued shut?"

_I am darkness. Of course I can see. _

A violent shiver runs down my spine as a particularly cold gust of wind whooshes past me. "Couldn't you have spared me possible bruises going down those stairs then?"

_I let you regain control over your body so I could cause more chaos._

I have to find that Heartless, but my eyes still won't open. I tentatively venture a step forward—and fall flat on my face in the snow. An exasperated groan rumbles in my chest as the cold seeps in through my clothes. "Maxiin..."

_Now I wait._

"What the hell are you talking about? I can't wait! Sora needs help!"

_Must I repeat this conversation again? _I_ am the one in control._

My limbs harden like concrete and my lips glue shut. My heart doesn't beat. All I can do is breathe in snow through my nose. _Don't do this!_

_Ah, here it comes,_ the voice purrs. _Finally._

Crunching footsteps. Cold velvet. Pain searing like a butcher knife digging into me along my spine, penetrating deeply as it runs down my back. Maxiin's delighted laughter ringing in my ears.

_S-stop...Make it stop!_

_It's almost gone. I can handle it._

A moan of anguish rattles my throat. Almost gone? Where is it going?

_If you must know, fool, I am absorbing the Heartless into me so I can feed off of its darkness. _Maxiin sounds like its lecturing a schoolchild. _Though the amount of darkness it harbors is quite small, I still need that extra boost since the light in your heart is hindering me more than I'd like._

I'd smirk triumphantly at the thought of causing trouble for Maxiin if the pain wasn't so excruciating. After one final shove into my back, the pain slowly subsides. A strange coldness runs through my veins and I half-wonder if I've become frozen from lying in the snow.

_Get up._

My arms and legs—loose and limber instead of frozen solid—move on their own to stand with ease.

_Look._

In an instant my eyes open rigidly like a puppet.

_Run.

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **So which do you think Maxiin is: sadistic or masochistic? Leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	32. Puppet

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading and for your support!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

My legs zoom across the pristine snow beneath me, every step certain and heading straight for the portal to Halloween Town. While I'm glad I can at least see what's happening and that I'm going to help Sora like I'd intended to, I feel like I'm being tugged by invisible strings to run or get up or do anything. My facial muscles hang lifelessly in a constant blank stare. Everything feels so much more easier, but I feel like I'm not the one in control.

_Because you are not. I am. How many times must I repeat it, stupid girl?_

I don't feel tired. I'm running faster than I've ever ran before, but I'm not heaving. In fact, maybe I'm only strolling. Am I even breaking a sweat?

The moment I land on the dirt ground in the dark forest I keep running. From over the bridge I see Sora and the others fighting amidst puffs of black smoke and Heartless. Within seconds the Heartless are completely annihilated.

_Weapon._

_What? __Weapon?_

Without breaking stride I watch out of my peripheral as my right arm grasps blue metal, thicker than that of the key blade, connected to two blades—a yellow stunted one and a red curved one. This is Lexaeus' weapon, isn't it? Isn't this thing supposed to be extremely heavy? It's as light as a feather.

_What am I going to do with the tomahawk? All the enemies are defeated._

_The enemies are still standing._

"Imani!" Goofy calls, waving a hand as I charge towards group.

"You're a little late." Sora rests his keyblade over his shoulder. "We took care of them."

My legs run so fast I feel like I'm levitating. Why won't my legs slow down? Why won't my arm put away the tomahawk?

"Imani," Riku leans forward slightly, his eyes narrowing. "Why are your eyes _yellow?_"

_Fight._

_What?_

Silently I raise my arm and thrust down. The graveyard quakes at the impact from the tomahawk. Chunks of earth and gravestones soar up all around me. Only when my eyesight faces downward do I realize that I _am_ levitating.

"What are you doing?" Donald demands angrily, leaping to his feet after dodging the attack.

The voice cackles as my arm hurls the tomahawk straight at Goofy. I watch in horror. Oh please, please block it—

I flinch inwardly as it clobbers Goofy and knocks him unconscious. With a deft hand I catch Skysplitter as it returns to me.

"Why are you attacking us?" Jack cries. "Did we do something to anger you?"

I want to shout, _No! Of course not! It's Maxiin_—

_Shut up._

Jolts of pain shoot up my spine and through my limbs. My body convulses erratically and my face contorts into anguish. My shouts remain mostly trapped in my chest, escaping occasionally as grunts.

_You will obey me. You will not vocalize your thoughts. You will destroy those gaping weaklings you call "friends."_

The pain diminishes and the little control I'd regained is lost. My blank eyes stare at the shocked faces of my friends.

"This is just like last time," the king notes softly. "She's being controlled by that voice in her head."

I could almost cry in joy. His Majesty figured it out!

_Shut up and _fight!

My body rushes forth, tomahawk drawn back for a swing.

"How can we bring her back without hurting her?" Jack asks as everyone jumps out of my way. "Simply calling her name doesn't seem to work."

I swing again, narrowly missing Riku.

"We couldn't do anything last time. She stopped on her own."

I swing _again _and nearly decapitate Donald.

"Should we use stop magic to freeze her and find a way to help?"

_Foolish. That would only waste time._

"Do it, Sora!"

Out of the corner of my eye, Sora points his keyblade at me and a burst of pressure squeezes around my body. It's hard breathing, but at least I can't move!

_Move._

With that single command the pressure disappears as if it'd never existed and my arm follows through with its punch aimed at Riku. He parries my tomahawk, his lips twisting into a frustrated grimace. "It didn't work, Sora!"

"What do we do?" Sora groans. "How did she get so strong?"

"Stop asking questions and start thinking of ways to stop her!" Riku ducks and rolls away before the tomahawk can crush him to the ground.

_Isn't this entertaining? The real fun hasn't even begun yet._

I raise my right arm and slam it down into the earth, burying it deep. This time along with bunches of dirt and tombstones rise dark deformed figures hunched over and moaning.

_Attack._

"Z-Zombies!" Donald squawks as they crawl over each other towards them.

_Now there's no way for them to escape alive. _Maxiiin laughs. _They'll either be overrun by the dead or smashed to pieces by Skysplitter._

_No,_ I cry. _I won't let that happen! That can't happen!_

"Attack the zombies first, then take care of Imani!" Sora commands the other four.

_That won't work,_ I moan, throwing and swinging the tomahawk effortlessly. _There has to be countless dead bodies here, and they're all fueled by the darkness I have. __It all roots from inside me..._

_Inside me! The Heartless I absorbed! That's how I can_—

_Shut UP!_

Maxiin sends shocks through my body again, the jolts racing through my limbs and back countless times. "HEARTLESSINSIDEME!" I scream shakily, hoping someone hears me. "GETITOUT!"

_FOOLISH GIRL!_

The shocks intensify tenfold and my words meld into bloodcurdling cries. My muscles and bones feel like they're liquefying under my skin. I writhe and coil as Maxiin repeats over and over, _Foolish, _foolish _girl!_

"Imani!" someone calls a few feet away. "How do I get it out?"

Through gritted teeth I moan, "J-j-j-j-u-u-u-u-s-s-s-s-s-t-t-t-t-h-h-h-h-i-i-i-i-t-t-t-t-t!"

_You will NOT speak!_

Whimpering, I pry one eye open and meet Sora's unsure blue eyes. Sweat glistens on his forehead, the shadows highlighting the instantaneous expression changes occur on his face—uncertainty to fear to uncertainty to worry to uncertainty to worry to _fear _to uncertainty—

_I _won't_ listen to you, Maxiin. _

Drawing in an unsteady breath, I cry at the top of my lungs, "SORA JUST DO IT!"

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Thank you for reading! Please review!


	33. Relief

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Another pretty short chapter. Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

"Just let it all out. That's it."

Fingertips brush away the strands of hair stuck to my sweaty face. Pain courses through my body as effortlessly as my blood does. I have to lean back against a gravestone to keep myself upright.

"Did it hurt a lot? I'm sorry if I hurt you," Sora apologizes nervously. I can only continue gasping for air and whimpering.

Defeating the Heartless turned out to be simple. Once the Heartless was gone, all the dead bodies became dead again and sank back to their graves. I was too busy crying to shrink away from them as they passed where I lay crumpled in the dirt.

"Drink this." The king holds an open potion bottle in front of me with a kind look on his exhausted face. "It'll give you back some of your strength."

Gratefully, I take the potion and guzzle it down. My muscles still feel like mush. I can hardly keep a firm grip on the bottle with my fingers and some of the semi-sweet liquid spills onto my clothes.

"Are you alright now, Imani?" Jack bends down on his skinny knees. "You scared us. Considering I'm the Pumpkin King, that was quite a feat."

My tears die down to hiccups as I nod. The potion seems to be working. "M'Sorry..."

Thankfully, Goofy didn't take the earlier blow too seriously. His head looks fine, and he's still as cheery as ever. The zombies must have overlooked him since he's dressed as Frankenstein. He says that the tomahawk was pretty heavy, though. "You held it like it was nothing, Imani," he chuckles.

I manage a weak smile. I'd rather not be able to wield something like that again if it means not absorbing any more Heartless anytime soon.

"So what now?" Sora asks, glancing at Riku. "Should we head somewhere else since the Heartless found us here?"

He nods. "I think so. I'm not sure we can chance one more night here if the Heartless can infest Imani and take control of her like that."

"Leaving already?" Jack gasps. "You all just got here!"

"We don't want to cause more trouble for you," Sora says apologetically.

"Nonsense! You should stay until Imani recovers at the very least."

Recovery sounds nice...I'm so tired...My eyelids are getting heavy...It's hard keeping my mind focused...

"What do you think we should do?" someone asks me.

In an effort to keep conscious, I shake my head. "We should keep moving," I murmur, slightly frustrated that I'm still slipping in and out dangerously.

"Are you sure?"

* * *

_"__Is it true?" Demyx shoves his face into mine. "Did you really figure out a way to get us our hearts?"_

_"__I'm not entirely sure yet," I admit. "I'm hoping it'll work..."_

_He backs away with a grin. "At least you're making progress. Good for you."_

_Eyeing him carefully, I venture, "You aren't mad at me?"_

_"__Why would I be mad? I'll finally get a heart and no one has to fight each other."_

_"__But it means remembering your Somebody."  
_

_His eyes droop and his smile falters slightly. "I know, but I'm not _mad_ about that. It's just a little weird..."_

_I sigh. "__It is, huh?"_

_"__But," he brightens up, "if that's what I have to do, then I'll do it. What that skinny guy said made sense_—_remembering and believing and stuff. I want all this to end the best it can, and it'd be great to coexist with you, Imani."_

_Again with the name. "Why is everyone calling me that?"  
_

_Demyx averts his gaze and shrugs again. "I don't know about the others, but I figured I should call you something different than that voice in your head."_

"Words have power. The way one chooses to use them greatly determines his ability to cause change. One must always be careful with words—they influence others."

_My eyebrows furrow. __Who said that? Why am I thinking of that now?_

_"__Plus, I'll have to call you that anyway when I become a Somebody."_

_I snap out of my thoughts and a corner of my lips quirks up. "_When_ you become a Somebody? Aren't you Mr. Optimistic?"_

_His laughter sounds like a bubbling creek and a quiet melody_—_soothing to my ears__. "It's 'cause I've got faith in you. It's the first time I've ever believed in someone. I dunno how to describe it but...I just have this feeling that you're going to make everything okay."_

_I gape. Such a contrast to my last dream. "You believe in me?"_

_Demyx nods uncertainly. "Y-Yeah."_

_"But __Axel was right. I'm still trying to figure everything out. You still believe in me? _Can _you believe?"_

_"__Well I mean, it's kinda funny, this feeling," he admits hastily, "but I think it's what you'd call 'trust.' I dunno. I see you, and I think, 'She can do it.' And yeah, you don't have everything figured out, but no one ever does, and when they do, things don't always turn out the way they want it to."_

_When did he get so understanding?_

_"__So even though I know it might be weird, I'm going to remember as much as I can and_—_"_

_My arms wrap around his waist and I bury my head in his chest. Finally. Finally something good's happening. I won't question it. I don't want to question it. _

_"__I-Imani?"_

_"__Thank you," I hug him tighter, "for putting your faith in me."_

_He hesitantly brings his arms around me, and for a fleeting moment, my heart stops beating at a thump I thought I heard in his chest.

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **Whoa. This chapter is super short. Thanks for reading! Please review!


	34. Progress

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Hope you enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

I blink as rapidly as I can manage to clear up the blurriness in my eyes. Instead of the graveyard, I seem to have awakened in a room with gray brick walls and fairly big windows. Doors of various sizes line the walls. Whites and pinks and browns color the furniture that's...stuck to the checkered ceiling.

"Imani?" Donald waddles over, hovering directly above me...on the ceiling.

"Hey, you're up." Sora frowns (grins?) from his seat in a white chair...on the _ceiling_.

Goofy waves, joining Donald above me. "How do you feel?"

They're _all_...on the _ceiling. _What the hell...?_  
_

"I'm going back to sleep," I mutter, shutting my eyes with a groan.

Laughter erupts above me. "You should see your face, Imani! You look so lost!"

"This has to be a dream. Why are you all upside-down?"

"No, Imani. _You're_ the one upside-down."

Cracking open an eye, I peer around cautiously until I spot a chandelier sitting upright a few feet away from where I lay.

He's right! With a shout I sit upright but then collapse back down (up?) on the fl—ceiling at the pain still lingering in my body.

"Riku's heading up to get you down."

I watch as my silver-haired friend confidently places a foot on a wall and steps up. In an instant his body becomes parallel with the floor and he strolls up to the ceiling. Moments later, he crouches down by my side with a smirk. "Hey."

I quirk an eyebrow. "Care to explain why I'm up here by _myself?_"

Riku gently takes one of my arms and slings it across his shoulders. "We wanted to see how you'd react."

"Right."

After carrying me back to the ground (the _real _ground), he lays me down on a couch against a wall. "Seriously, though," he begins as the others crowd around, "you feeling better?"

"A little. I'll have to rest a bit more before I'll get back to being in tip-top shape."

"That's fine." Sora nods. "We'll be staying here with you until you get better."

I smile a little at the group. "I'll fill you in on Maxiin and my dreams, then. I can at least talk now."

"Maxiin?"

* * *

_"__Where is he?"_

_The owner of the new voice takes his final step out of the portal through which he came. His long dark hair is tied up and his sideburns and bangs frame his rough face. The man stares at me intensely as he repeats, "Where is he?"_

_"Where is who?"  
_

_"__Demyx. Where is Demyx?"_

_My eyebrows knit together. "Demyx is missing?"_

_"__Why else would I ask you such a thing?" He storms towards me. "You were the last one to see him. Where is he?"_

_"__I don't know!" I shrug, backing away with my hands held up in defense. "I haven't seen him since waking up, either."_

_"__He's betrayed us. He's not following the Superior's plan. The things you've been saying are planting false hopes in the organization members. It's your fault he's missing."_

_"__My fault? It was his choice to put his faith in me. He wants his heart, and if you do too, then you'd better start following his example."_

_He grabs hold of my jacket collar and yanks me towards him. "Demyx is naïve for putting his faith in you so easily. You can't promise anything."_

_"__That's exactly what makes Demyx so brave!" I snap. "He understands that and he still trusts me and he could become more of a Somebody than you'll ever be if you don't_—_"_

_"__Shut up!" With the strength he's known for he throws me to the side, pinning me down with a lance while the other five hover around him. "You will not tell me what to do! I refuse to remember! There's nothing worth remembering!"_

_"__Fine!" I bark. "Go drown yourself in your despair while you watch Demyx and Axel and everyone else obtain the hearts they've longed for!"_

_"__Don't you mock me!"_

_"__Don't say I didn't warn you when you find yourself alone here!"_

_"__Xaldin."_

_Both of us widen our eyes, the comebacks dying on our tongues._

_"__Release her."_

_Albeit reluctantly, he stands up and sends away all six of his lances in gusts of wind._

_"__Rise, Kismet Scribe."_

_My hands shake a little more than I'd like as I get up on my feet and turn to face him. His image remains as clear and identical as in my memories: his hair, his eyes, the way he stands..._

_"__Xemnas."  
_

_He nods slowly then turns to Xaldin. "I would like to speak to her alone." _

_"__Of course. Perhaps you can talk some sense into her." Xaldin's footsteps echo softer and softer as he leaves._

_"__Trust me," I call to him. "Please trust me."_

_"__Empty words with no promise," his voice sneers just as he vanishes._

_I stifle a sigh, turning to Xemnas and locking stares with him. No matter what he came here for, I will not let up if he tells me to choose a side._

_"__You seem to have remembered my plans," he begins, crossing his arms, "but you refuse to act accordingly. I will not question why_—_you've made yourself quite clear. However, I must question your ability to follow through with your vow to work out a compromise. As the Flurry of Dancing Flames has pointed out to you countless times, all you need to do is resurrect me in order to give us our hearts. You were created as a tool, after all."_

_I clench my jaw, biting down a growl or a snide comment._

_"__I've come to realize," he continues, "that simply giving into the darkness will not yield the results I'd planned for. The darkness in you has a will of its own and a power that overshadows you greatly_—_"_

_"It's Vanitas."_

_Xemnas blinks. "Vanitas..."_

_"He's the incarnate of pure darkness created by a keyblade master whose own heart was twisted and corrupt," I tell him while marveling for myself the knowledge spilling from my lips. "You know how my memories tend to throw me into hallucinations or uncontrolled instances of intense emotion? I believe the memory of Vanitas is empowering my darkness...just as the memories of Ventus and Sora are empowering my light...and helping you Nobodies become Somebodies."_

_His eyes widen a fraction._

_"I think," I tag on, my own eyes widening and my jaw dropping. That all certainly makes sense, though..._

You're not so foolish after all, are you, girl?_  
_

_"I see," Xemnas finally murmurs. "It's clear that the darkness within you has its own plans though I know not what they are. From your experiences in the graveyard, I can safely say that it will accomplish its plans if nothing is done to stop it.__ I've come to urge you to take control over this darkness."  
_

_"__You can't just tell me to do that," I say right off the bat, shaking my head. "I don't know how."_

_He replies, unshaken by my sudden response, "You were created to harbor and control light and darkness equally, which you fulfilled with your transformation into a Somebody. With the powerful darkness must have come an equally powerful light you have yet to tap into."_

_A spark of realization flares in my mind. An equally powerful light?_

_"__It is for everyone's good that you learn to rule over your own darkness." Without another word, Xemnas turns around and begins to walk away._

_"__Wait!" I protest. "What about the way I'm trying to get you your hearts? You're not going to discourage that?"_

_Xemnas doesn't break his stride, disappearing in miasma._

_"__Well...Call me Imani," I say to the darkness uselessly. "I think it's doing something."

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please!


	35. Poor Luck

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far! If you haven't already, check out my other stories and let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

I sputter awake to a rough shove into a banister, doubled over the side of the railing and gasping to regain my breath.

"Girl! State your name!" a pompous voice commands.

Tears form at the corners of my eyes and a grimace tugs at my lips. My ribs hurt...I still haven't healed yet...

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"*

"Y-Your Majesty, please have patience…"

Before me, a chubby woman in black and red wearing a crown glares down at me from her high seat. She brandishes a wand with a giant heart and screeches, "You shall state your name or it's off with your head!"

"I-Imani," I utter as clearly as I can between gasps.

"Imani. Do you know why you are here?"

Card soldiers line the tall maze hedges surrounding us. To the queen's right stands a white rabbit wearing spectacles and an anxious look. His paws wring the scroll he holds. None of my friends are anywhere to be found.

I swallow thickly. This can't be good. "I'm afraid not, Your Majesty. If you would please enlighten me—"

"Cookies."

I blink. "C-Cookies?"

"Cookies."

Dead silence follows her...um...explanation? How do I respond to that?

"I'm not sure I understand," I admit, hunching my shoulders against the inevitable angry outburst.

"Cookies, girl!" the queen snaps, waving her wand furiously. "You ate my cookies!"

"I...I did?"

"The crumbs are all over your wretched face!"

Hesitantly, my hand rises to brush my cheek. My eyes widen as fingertips brush over small crusty particles on my skin. What is going on? I don't remember eating cookies! I've been asleep for the majority of the time I've been in Wonderland! Did someone frame me? Or maybe...

_No, it was not me,_ Maxiin's voice drawls, stopping my heart momentarily. _I wouldn't be so careless if I'd stolen any cookies. Your idiotic friends used you as a scapegoat._

_No, they wouldn't do that. _

_Then where are they, hmm?_

"H-H-H-How do you plea?" the rabbit calls timidly.

I exhale, the notion of being framed by my friends nagging at my brain. "Not guilty. I didn't eat your cookies, Your Majesty."

"Liar!" she shrieks. "The evidence is against you!"

"The evidence must have been placed!" I protest. "I've been set up!"

The queen leans precariously over the edge of her podium. "Prove it!"

Moaning, I rack my brain for a way out of this mess. "I...I don't know how many cookies there were."

"Because you were too busy gobbling them all up!"

My temples throb from all this shouting and thinking. "I don't know what kind of cookies they were."

She throws up her hands in exasperation. "They were shortbread, you dolt! All were overflowing with raspberry filling!"

Ah! Could this be my escape? "Really? _Overflowing?_" I repeat in mock-interest.

"Yes! You can never eat them without coating your face with the _sticky_ goodness, and the deep mauve _stains_ your skin." She takes a moment to lick her lips and sigh happily. "_Heavenly_, that's what they are."

I think I'm off the hook. My cheeks aren't sticky. "Yes, they sound delicious."

Immediately she snaps out of her reverie. "You should know, I'm sure, you cookie thief! You cannot wiggle your way out of this!" she screams, her outrage back in full force. "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"*

I wipe my mouth desperately. No! There isn't any stickiness! There are only crumbs! I couldn't have eaten any of her cookies! "Wait a moment, Your Majesty—"

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"*

Every single card soldier troops over to me, axes and spears pointed. I frantically wheel around, backing into the banister, when a gleam from one of the axes catches my eye.

I stare at my reflection and my heart sinks at the mauve blotches on my cheek.

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"*

_Weapons._

For once, it's a good thing I have a voice in my head to tell me what to do. _Right._

My arms cross before my face almost as a guard. In an instant, dark cyclone pillars—six of them—shoot up around me, bolts of electricity licking the outsides. With the release of my guard, the cyclones dissipate to reveal long lances.

"W-What is this?" the queen cries.

I grasp a lance in each hand while the remaining four float in mid-air. "My appeal for a re-trial."

_Fight._

Effortlessly I do away with the card soldiers. I even almost laugh at their comical faces as I stab them and blow them all over the place. I heave a sigh when the last card's wail dies as he floats away over the hedges.

"AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!" the queen screeches. "GUARDS! GUARDS! SEIZE THAT GIRL!"

_Run._

_You don't need to _tell _me that._

Sending the lances away with a wave of my hand, I dash into the maze surrounding the court, chanting in my head, _Just get away, just get away, just get away _and praying nothing pops up—

I let out a cry. A toothy smile—_only_ a smile—greets me as I round a corner and my heart almost bursts out of my chest. Gradually, big eyes, pointy ears, purple striped fur, and a long stout tail come into view.

"Where are you going?" the cat questions.

"A warning would've been nice!" I huff. "I'm looking for my friends. Do you know where they are?"

He tilts his head to one side, his tail flicking back and forth. "Are _your _friends _my _friends?"

My stomach churns with sticky dread. Uh oh.

"They, uh, _might _be," I offer. "If you know where they are, please tell me quickly."

"One who acts in haste soon realizes his ways too late." His head tilts to the other side.

"_Please_, Cheshire Cat." I glance at a fork in the path in front of me. "At least tell me which way to go."

He vanishes, only to appear before the right path. "The way to your friends is right if it is the only one left," he says, vanishing and reappearing before the left path.

I groan loudly. "You're not helping."

_What did you expect? The Cheshire Cat always speaks in riddles._

"Is left right? Is right left?"

_Maxiin! Which way?_

_Just choose a side, foolish girl._

"Is right left? Is left right?"

Grumbling under my breath, I flick out a few cards from thin air and shuffle them. "Blank is left, clock is right," I tell myself.

_Cards? You're wasting your time._

"Is left right? Is right left?"

My fingers randomly choose a card and flip it over.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **In case it doesn't make sense, the cards are Luxord's. What'd you think? Please review! Thank you for reading!


	36. Framed

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **I'm almost done with revisions! AHH! How am I doing so far?

I just have to laugh whenever I think about this chapter. It's all over the place. It's supposed to be, though, so please keep reading. Thanks for your support of this fanfic!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden. I also do not own any Disney movie story/song lines (which are also noted with an *).

* * *

I finally dash out of that maze of a forest and into a room designed to look like a yard outside a house. A long pink table runs with chairs bordering it runs through the space. Teapots, teacups, saucers, spoons, and forks litter the tabletop. Colorful paper lanterns hang from the dark ceiling. At the end of the table, two frames hang on the wall..._  
_

My eyes widen and my heart drops. Sora, Donald, and Goofy look out from the one on the left in despair. Riku and the king appear to be trying to break free from the canvas in the frame on the right.

As I near the frames, the stickiness in my stomach returns and I shake my head in disbelief. How did they get in there? How can I get them out?_  
_

_Don't bother. They're better off trapped in those portraits._

Suddenly, a whistle toots long and loud. Pipes begin to explode noise into the silence. I tear my gaze away from the wall. At the table sits a short man with a big nose and a big green top hat. Next to him, a bucktoothed brown scruffy rabbit pours tea.

"A very merry unbirthday to us!"* they both sing, the steam from the bouncing teapots clouding the air.

My jaw drops. "H-How did you two get out?"

The pair halts in their song and drink, turning to me with wide eyes. "Excuse me? Who are you?"

I wave my hands around frantically. "How did you two get out? You were in a portrait on that wall when Sora and Donald and Goofy last came!"

"How, indeed," the Mad Hatter's eyes cross lazily, his tongue sticking out. "Would you like to join us for a cup of tea?"

"Yes! Join us for a cup of tea!" the March Hare insists, pouring out a teacup (literally) from a random teapot.

"I need to get my friends out of there! Can you tell me how to get them out?"

"We're also celebrating our unbirthday!"

"Is today _your_ unbirthday, too?"

"If so, a very merry unbirthday to you!"

_They're irritating me. Leave this place now._

_No. I have to get them out. I can't leave them here.  
_

The March Hare shoves the cup into my hands. "Have a seat and celebrate!"

_I said leave._

_No._

"A very merry unbirthday to me!"*

"To who?"*

"To me!"*

"Oh you!"*

_I let you fight the card soldiers on your own. I've been lenient only because your friends have not been present. Leave of your own will and I won't take over your actions._

Subconsciously I collapse into a chair, the tea in my cup untouched. _You won't control me if I stay away from Sora and Riku?_

_I will not._

I glance at the portraits. _But I can't leave them here..._

_Must I remind you what I am capable of?_

A chill runs up my spine.

"Drink up! Drink up!" the Mad Hatter urges.

Grinning awkwardly so that I at least _seem _like I'm enjoying myself, I take a sip.

_Choose. _

I blink and stare down into my cup thoughtfully before taking another sip. This tea is pretty good. I take another sip and another...and another...

"Look at her go!" both man and rabbit exclaim. "Have more! Have more!"

I slam down my cup for them to fill. The colors in the room blend with each other as the flavor of peaches and spices bursts on my tongue. My lips split into a loopy grin and my chest jumps with a sudden hiccup. Ha ha, hiccup! Loopy! I don't know why but that's so _hilarious! _Hiccup!

_What the hell is wrong with you?_

My fingers and arms feel like jelly as I drunkenly swig down my refilled cup—cup rhymes with hiccup!—and nearly fall off my chair. Whoo...pretty colors...

"Have more!"

Hiccup! Ha ha ha ha ha!

_I suppose I've no choice but to handle things myself._

"Oh dear me! We haven't even asked your name!" the fluffy rabbit cries.

"Immmmaaaaannnnnnniiiiiiiiiii," I drag out. I can't control my mouth, either! Ha ha! Tea!

_Stand up._

"Imani?" they both scrunch their faces like...scrunchies!

"Where have we heard that name before?" the guy with the huge hat muses.

"Oh! Didn't those boys and their friends say something about an 'Imani'?" the March Hare—I think I'll call him Marchie—exclaims.

_Stand up._

"A merry very unbirthday to me!"* I sing joyfully, spilling tea all over the table and onto my jacket.

"A very merry unbirthday to you!"*

"Thanks, Marchie!"

_Stand _up_, foolish girl!_

He scrunches his face again! Scrunchie Marchie! "Who?"

Giggles bubble from my chest and I sip the deeeeeeelicioussssss tea! If only Sora and Riku and the others were here! They'd _love_ these guys! Hiccup! I should tell them 'cup' rhymes with 'hiccup'! They'd get a laugh out of that!

Ahhh! I forgot! They're trapped in those portraits! Hiccup! Tea!

"W-Where are you going, Imani?" Marchie asks, downing more tea.

_No! Don't go over there again!_

"My friends..." I stumble over to the wall, nearly smashing my face into one of the portraits. "M-My friends..."

"Oh! Those were the ones who knew your name!" Marchie's friend—what's his name again?—says. "They were trying to find you."

I turn around dizzily. "H-How do I get them out?"

_I want to leave!_

"How indeed." Marchie and his friend break out into song. "Let's dance and drink tea!"

"Dance?" I perk up. "I love dancing!"

_I've never danced before, fool. LEAVE!_

I begin waving my arms around wildly and jumping up and down. _But I've seen dancing! Demyx makes water dance!_

"WAIT!" I trip over my feet and tumble to the ground, bleary eyes wide with realization. "MUSIC! We need music!" I declare at the top of my lungs, throwing my hand in the air and raining a water veil around me.

_WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?  
_

Demyx's sitar nearly slips out of my hand as I bust out a solo and shoot water all over the place.

* * *

"...ani. Imani."

I yawn, peeling open my eyes. Riku gives a sigh and the king stops shaking my shoulder.

OH! I sit up suddenly, my eyes flying from one person to the next madly. "Y-You're not in the pictures anymore!"

"Thanks to you," the king grins. "The water you were spouting wet the canvases and we were able to push ourselves out."

"Is that how it works?"

"We got out. That's what matters," Riku concludes with a shrug.

"Imani!" Sora rushes over and kneels next to me. "You okay?"

I nod, chuckling a little at Donald's frustrated squawks with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. "I'm glad _you _guys are okay. How did you get in those portraits anyway?"

Riku glares at Sora who scratches his chin bashfully. "He tripped and we all crashed into the wall. Next thing we know, we're stuck."

I replay the image in my head perfectly and a laugh breaks out past my smiling lips.

"Imani, your cheek is stained!"

"I was dragged to the Queen of Hearts' court and charged for eating her cookies! I tried to convince her that I was innocent, but I eventually had to fight off her card soldiers and run. I think someone framed me!"

All three of them peek at Donald and Goofy strangely. I follow their gaze, wondering why...

My eyes narrow. Is it the lighting or does Donald's face look a little_...mauve?_

"I think I can explain." Riku exhales tiredly. "While you were sleeping, Donald found a plate of cookies and ate them all. He was so messy he spilled crumbs and jelly all over the floor. Then, he decided he was thirsty, so he drank from one of the bottles on the table and accidentally enlarged himself. The whole place got trashed. Goofy tried to save you from getting stepped on and you both slid on the floor towards the table where the drinks were."

"And that's how I got crumbs and jelly on my face?"

"That must have been it. Donald shrank himself again with another bottle, but after that, we all got bribed by the doorknob to shrink ourselves even more. The king was about to give you some of the drink, but the bottle was empty and the card soldiers had somehow found where you were and dragged you away somewhere. We'd all shrank by then so we couldn't do anything."

"Ah." How do I react to that? Laugh? Shout? Tell off Donald for eating the queen's cookies?

"By the way," Sora begins, "how come you didn't leave?"

"Huh?" I knit my eyebrows together.

"I mean, Maxiin could've controlled you to leave us behind, but instead, you stayed here and even helped us escape. How come?"

I tilt my head. "I wasn't even aware that Maxiin might've been trying to control me."

_I was, mind you, _Maxiin sniffs haughtily. _I don't know why I couldn't._

"You were acting a bit odd after you drank that tea," the king says. "You couldn't keep your balance."

"And you were hiccupping a lot and dancing," Sora chimes in.

"And you called the March Hare 'Marchie,'" Riku smirks.

Heat flares up on my face and my eyes grow wide. "I what?"

"It must have been the tea," they all deduce.

I chuckle nervously. "I-It was pretty good tea."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **I actually haven't seen the Disney cartoon version of _Alice in Wonderland_. I had to actually look up the song on YouTube. How sad is that? And I call myself a Disney fan...I _have_ seen _Alice in Wonderland_, though, but it was the live-action version with Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat. I loved the Tim Burton version!

So I got a little loopy writing this chapter. I could hardly stop laughing as I wrote this just because there's so much drunken weirdness in it. I suppose the prompt I had in my head was, "Why are the Mad Hatter and the March Hare so strange?" and my answer was, "Tea." Thanks for reading!


	37. Warning

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_His arms are crossed almost in a bored fashion but his visible eye and his smirk scream mischief. _

_"__Something funny, Zexion?" I ask warily, wondering if he's planning to throw me into another Heartless battle. I don't think I've ever seen him so openly entertained before. _

_"'__Scrunchie Marchie'?" _

_I groan, slapping my forehead. "Not you, too."_

_"__You brought it on yourself," he shrugs._

_"I was thirsty and I didn't know the tea was going to make me as loopy as the Mad Hatter and the March Hare."_

_"__I'm intrigued to discover what it was about the tea that prevented Maxiin from overtaking your actions," Zexion brings a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "You didn't come here when you fainted, either."_

_A smile creeps onto my face as I remember asking for several batches of the tea before leaving. "I wouldn't mind drinking more if it'd help your curiosity."_

_"A kind offer, but I'll decline. It'd be wise if you saved the tea for when you truly need it, should such an instance occur."_

_I nod slowly, averting my gaze from him. "Did you find Demyx?"_

_His sigh gives enough of an answer. "It's become rather quiet without him around. He would mostly likely have caused a riot when you played his sitar and kept hiccupping."_

_"__Do you think he's alright?"_

_"__He's the most cowardly member of the organization, but he can take care of himself when he has to. He should be fine."_

_Guilt drips at the back of my head and a faint stickiness wells up in my stomach. I don't know what I'd do if my idea didn't work and he's actually suffering by himself, trying so hard to become a Somebody. It'd be all my fault if something happened bad happened to him._

_"__I'll have you know that I believe your strategy for giving us our hearts is utterly ridiculous."_

_I blink, focusing on Zexion again with an arched eyebrow. "Oh really? I suppose you have a better strategy in mind?"_

_"__I do not," he admits with another sigh, "which is the only reason I've started trying to remember."_

_"Really?" A spark of interest goes off in my head. "__Have you remembered anything?"_

_"__I assume the reason I'm still here is because I've failed to remember anything noteworthy__."_

_"Can you feel anything?"_

_He narrows his eye. "I'm not quite sure what you're asking."_

_"Uh...Do you find yourself caring about things that haven't bothered you before? Have you been acting differently?"  
_

_"Like Axel, you mean?"_

_I ball my hand into a fist against the flinch threatening to erupt throughout my body. "S-Sure. Like Axel."_

_"I have yet to notice any significant differences. I shall keep trying for your sake, Maxiin."  
_

_"Imani."_

_He blinks. "Excuse me?"_

_"__You can't call me 'Maxiin' anymore__," I tell him. "__Calling me by my Somebody name might be that extra push you need. Demyx called me 'Imani' the last time I saw him."_

_"I don't see what calling you a different name will do. You are _Maxiin_."_

"Words have power. The way one chooses to use them greatly determines his ability to cause change." His wrinkled face creases even more around piercing golden eyes. "One must always be careful with words—they influence others."

_"__I'm not too sure about that anymore," I murmur, my brow furrowing and the wheels turning in my head._

_"__You said yourself before that you are both Imani and Maxiin," Zexion points out.  
_

_"__I said that, but now the voice in my head is 'Maxiin'...and I'm wondering if I made a mistake. I feel like I shouldn't have consented to calling it 'Maxiin' so easily."_

_"You think that by calling the voice by your name, you're empowering it and embodying it in a way."_

_"__Yeah...I keep remembering Ansem saying that words influence change. Could my choice of words towards the voice determine how much power it holds over me?"_

_"__A logical assumption."  
_

Lexicon.

_Both Zexion and I perk up to the voice. __"Pardon?" Zexion tilts his head slightly as my heart skips several beats with each word the voice says._

Lexicon. Give it to me.

_Instead of abiding to the command, he leans forward, peering closely at me. "Peculiar," he seems to mouth._

_"__What's peculiar?" I ask._

_"__You obviously are not the one speaking," he muses, "but your lips move whenever the voice talks."_

_My eyes widen. "__My lips are_—_"_

I'll say it one more time, _the voice_—_my voice?_—_cuts me off. _Give me the Lexicon.

_"For what purpose?" Zexion demands quietly, staring at me without fear.  
_

My purpose does not concern you.

_"__I cannot give you my Lexicon if you refuse to answer my inquiry properly."_

Then I'll take over this foolish girl's body and force it from you_._ Painfully.

_I shudder. It can control me in my dreams, too?_

_"__I simply asked you a question, Maxiin," Zexion reasons. "I don't see why you'd choose to go so far as controlling your host's body in order to attain my Lexicon. I will ask once more: For what purpose?"_

This fool and I need a face-to-face talk.

_"__About what?"_

It is none of your concern_. My face almost twitches into a glare. _I answered your question. Now give the Lexicon to me.

_"I did not guarantee that I would hand it over if you did answer my question."_

_A dark chuckle rumbles in my chest. _You leave me no choice.

_A jolt ripples down my spine and my heart halts.  
_

Attac—

_"__I have a proposition."_

_My muscles freeze and I breathe a sigh of relief. _A proposition?

_"__I will allow you to borrow my Lexicon," Zexion offers, "but only if I am the one holding it during your conversation."_

So you can end the conversation whenever you want? Or perhaps you want to spy on us and report back your findings to Xemnas?

_"__If the issue you need to discuss with Imani is of the utmost importance, then I suggest to accept my offer." His eye narrows. "I would think that if you exhaust your host body too much, you will be unable to carry out your will."_

_My eyes widen. I'd never thought about that...and it seems the voice hadn't either from the way it doesn't respond immediately._

_The discovery doesn't seem to faze it very much, though. _Touché, Cloaked Schemer. You have yourself a deal.

_With a flick of his wrist, he brings out his thick tome and flips it open to a random page. "If you attempt anything unnecessary, I will cut you off," he warns, stepping towards me._

The same goes for you_. I cross my arms with my cheeks lifting in a forced smirk. _Literally.

_Once he stops a few feet away, my face relaxes and my heart begins beating again as several pages rip themselves from the spine of the book and fly up into the air, alighting upon its edges and folding to form a paper-thin faceless human figure. Text tattoos the entire body as it crinkles and flutters with each move it makes. _

_I shoot a wary glance at Zexion before asking, "__What do we have to talk about?"  
_

I will be doing the talking,_ the figure sneers, placing its hands on its hips. _Consider this a warning: defy me any more and there will be consequences.

_"__That's all you had to tell her?" Zexion asks uninterestedly. _

_It whips its head over its shoulder to glare at him. _No. My warning includes a demonstration.

_The ground begins to shake and rumble beneath us as a sucking vortex noise drowns out the silence. A huge distortion in the darkness morphs and spazzes until two yellow globes arise, soaring higher and higher._

_"__A Heartless?" Zexion exclaims._

_The voice laughs. _A good friend of mine. He has a knack for finding things that seem to have disappeared mysteriously.

_"__Help!"_

_I peer upwards, vaguely making out a mass of light-colored hair flailing around. What is that?_

_"__Imani! Help!" Light blue, panicked eyes._

_I do a double-take. "D-Demyx?"_

_"__Hel_—_" His face contorts in pain and he lets out a groan. _

_"Let him go!" I tear my eyes from Demyx to glare at the figure. "He doesn't have anything to do with this!"_

He is your friend, is he not?_ it calmly answers._ Of course he has something to do with this.

_"__I told you not to do anything unnecessary," Zexion growls, his fingers moving to slam the book shut._

_"__Wait!" I quickly cry to him. "If you make her leave, we'll have to fight the Heartless and Demyx will suffer more!"_

_The figure hums thoughtfully. _So you do know how to think before acting.

_Sweat breaks out on my skin and my heart pounds in my chest. "__Please let him go! I won't go against you!"_

Empty words,_ it snarls, _Just like all the other promises you've made.

_Demyx's shouts tear through the darkness. _

_"Let him go!"_

Defy me any more and you will suffer. Do I make myself clear?

_A loud crack erupts and Demyx's yelling abruptly stops.__ My heart sinks to my sticky stomach and I clap my hands to my mouth. Goosebumps cover my sweaty skin and I shiver uncontrollably.  
_

_From the corner of my eye the figure explodes and the pages unfold and smooth out before resting in Zexion's book once more. As soon as they came the Heartless and Demyx sink back into the darkness. "Imani..." Zexion murmurs._

_I sink to my knees, staring at the space Demyx once hovered in. What do I do, Aden?  
_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **Thank you for reading! Please review!


	38. Stay Here

**EDITED 6/24/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Something nudges me in the side. "Imani? Are you okay?"

My skin crawls with sweat and dirt. The dry air smells of earth and animals, making my nose wrinkle. The memory of Demyx's wide eyes and the audible crack and Maxiin's threats won't leave me.

"You should get up. The pride wants to meet you. Everybody's waiting."

I slowly open my eyes and look over the lion cub sitting next to me...particularly the crown chain around his neck. "Sora?"

"Yup." He bares a grin, his fangs gleaming in the light. "We're at Pride Rock now."

I sit up on my haunches and studying my fuzzy reddish—shaking—paw. "Why'd we leave Wonderland?"

"The queen was still hunting you down. Plus, Riku figured that the more often we move, the less of a chance there is of meeting Heartless."

_Your friends are fools, too. Birds of a feather flock together, I suppose._

"Come on!" he calls as he runs off.

Slowly, I follow after him, carefully placing my paws down one in front of the other and wavering precariously. Those lions make moving look easier than it is...

"Imani!"

Once I chance a look up at the group of waiting animals, I trip over my feet and smash my face into the tough ground. "Ow..."

"Nice," Riku laughs, pushing me back up with his shoulder. "I'd have thought you'd already get the hang of it. You've seen Sora in lion form before, haven't you?"

"He's not exactly the best example to follow," I mutter. "He was always running and leaping everywhere."

"This is Simba, Imani." Sora moves to the side to reveal a strong-looking lion with soft yellow eyes and a flowing mane.

"Sora tells me that you need a place to rest," Simba says after I bow my head to him. "You're welcome to stay for as long as you need."

I bow again stiffly, the dread in my stomach thickening. "Thank you. I have a feeling that won't be too long. I'll try to be out of here as quickly as possible."

"Our pride will provide you with protection," Simba reassures, throwing his head over his shoulder briefly to gesture to the lionesses standing on the side. "I hear you are quite strong already, but strength in numbers will help, right?"

Warning bells sound off in my head. "I appreciate the offer but I don't want to endanger everyone. I think I should—"

"You remember everything, don't you?" the lion king cuts me off patiently. "I'm sure you remember the last time the Heartless came here."

_The vast expanse of land quakes under the enormous feet of the Groundshaker. Two smaller figures dart and dash between the Heartless' legs, both a hairsbreadth away from getting squashed into the dirt. _

_"__Together!"_

_With final slashes, the figures_—_both lions_—_slay the beast. Shrill cries fill the air as it spazzes and fades into nothing._

"I do remember," I admit with a nod.

"Then you know well enough that we are capable of handling whatever Heartless come our way if we work together as one." He tilts his head, almost as if challenging me to protest otherwise. "There _is _a reason we lions stick together as a pride: we can accomplish nothing without each other."

"_I'm lucky to have friends who will stand by my side."*_

"I learned my lesson not too long ago. Perhaps now it's my turn to teach that lesson to you." He smiles and rests a heavy paw on my head in an almost fatherly way. "You will stay with us here for as long as you need."

* * *

He _meant_ it.

I sigh, resting my head on my paws. Worry gnaws at my brain relentlessly. I can't lie here around these unsuspecting lions without thinking about the possibility of Maxiin taking over me to cause trouble. Every time I try to get away from the pride, one of the lionesses moves to stand in my way with a warning look. "The king wants you to stay here," she says. "If you need something like food or water, one of us will get it for you."

It's too much of an effort to be sneaky. I still can't get the hang of walking, and I think I still have some dirt wedged between my fangs. Every time I'd tumble while trying to escape, a lioness or even Simba himself would pick me up by the mouth and set me back down where I started. I think I'm up to attempt number twenty-two.

"Just take it easy, Imani," Riku mumbles, shoving his paw into my face without looking up. "Get your rest while you can."

I wave away his paw. "How can you be so calm? I'm a Heartless magnet and I've got an uncontrollable darkness seizing my body whenever it wants to. If something bad happens—"

"Then we'll fix it. After we fix it, we'll move to a different world. Obviously."

"It's not that simple..."

"We've been doing that for the past few weeks. There isn't much else we can do, is there?"

"What if Maxiin makes me absorb a Heartless again?"

"Then we'll beat it out of you like Sora did last time."

"What if it's more powerful than last time?"

He finally lifts his head to stare at me groggily. "Are you calling us weak?"

_Yes. _

I flinch. "No, of course not!"

"Do you not trust us anymore after seeing how long it took for us to figure out how to solve that last mess?"

_I never trusted you. You never did anything worthy of my trust._

"I trust you!" I exclaim, sitting up indignantly. "I always did and I still do, Riku."

"Then have a little faith in us when we tell you to stay here." He slumps back down lazily. "You're the one who kept pleading for us to trust you, right? You have to trust us in return otherwise there's no point."

_Weapon._

My heart jumps. _What?_

_Weapon, fool. Bring out Éclair. _

_But why?_

_Is it not obvious? The reason is lying next to you._

Riku stretches his limbs with a yawn.

_You need not electrocute him. Just a well-aimed stab will do. _

_But I_—

_Did you forget my warning so quickly? _

I swallow thickly. _Of course I didn't. How could I?_

_Then do as I say or else._

Against my will, cold, sharp metal materializes beneath my paw. _I can't_—

_You will. _

Clumsily, I pick up the knife between my paws. My lungs rise and fall rapidly. I don't want to do this.

_Aim. _

My upper body twists almost mechanically to position the knife above Riku. _I don't want to do this.  
_

_Kill._

"Imani?" a voice asks. "What are you doing?"

_Kill._

My arms shake and my stomach churns.

_Kill._

Riku glances up lazily. His eyes widen as they land on the dagger. "What the—"

_Kill!_

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Thank you for reading! Please review!


	39. Facing Death

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Hope you enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

In a split-second, Riku rolls out of the way as the knife plunges down into the dust. "What's going on? Is that you, Maxiin?" he demands.

_Kill! After him!_

"No!" I fall on my face several times to clamber away from the dagger. "I won't do it!"

_I said KILL HIM!_

"NO!"

"Imani! Are you alright?"

"Maxiin! Stop this!" Riku growls. "She doesn't want to listen to you!"

Amidst my sobs, a growl of my own rumbles in my chest and a jolt of energy shoots through my body, freezing my heart. "You dare speak to me that way?" I snarl, the sobs dying down and my sense of control completely gone. I rise to my feet, glaring at Riku and the lions challengingly.

"Why are you doing this?" Sora shouts from beside Simba. "Why are you so set on hurting us?"

"Because you're in the way!" I laugh icily. "You're all troublesome idiots who stubbornly refuse to let nature take its course. Your tedious monologues on light and friendship and trust sicken me. You are all _pests_. Pests are meant to be eliminated."

"_You're _the pest!" Donald squawks, shaking a fisted wing at me while Goofy nods. "You keep causing problems for everyone! Why don't you just go away?"

I let another laugh loose, the sound echoing ominously. "You read my mind."

Warping noises bounce off the walls as Heartless of many forms—Shamans, Rapid Thrusters, Living Bones, and others I can't see out of my peripheral—crowd the cavern, and immediately everyone engages in chaotic battle.

I chuckle darkly, creeping outside with the ease of a natural predator.

_W-Where are you taking me? Stop!_

_You are in no position to tell _me _what to do, especially since you deliberately went against my word. This is part of your punishment._

I dash into Rafiki's stone hollow (Where is he anyway? Why can't he be here to stop me?) and leap onto the pool of light, the familiar disintegrating feeling doing nothing to overshadow the queasiness in my gut. In moments, I step out into a shadowy cave much bigger than the one back in the Pride Lands. A pond of green liquid ripples softly a few feet from where I stand. Two paths lead to different jagged doors while a third leads to a staircase bathed in light.

_What are we doing here?_

I smirk, dashing down one of the paths. With a wave of my hand, the doors rumble open, allowing me space so that I can just barely squeeze through before slamming closed. My feet proceed further into the cave confidently.

A mist of sorts flows down the path like a river, just as I remember from Sora's ventures here. White lights float around as I dodge falling boulders without second glances. In no time, the crack in the stone wall is in sight, a greenish glow spilling out...as well as a few angry curses and many more piteous wails.

_W-Wait! What are you planning to do?_

The smirk on my face widens as I step inside. I feel like flinching at the sight of two creatures—one purple and stout, the other green and pointy—writhing in the suffocating grip of a blazing red being in a black, smoky toga as they plead for mercy.

"Seems I came at a bad time," I comment, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall to observe.

All three pause to stare at me bug-eyed.

"I suppose I should've made an appointment at the front. I didn't think the Lord of the Dead would be _this_ busy letting out the frustrations he's harbored ever since Sora and Hercules completely foiled his plans."

Spiny fingers uncurl, dropping Pain and Panic abruptly.

"Well, perhaps I'll come another time, then." Giving a not-so-disappointed sigh, I push myself off the wall and turn to leave—

"Hold it."

A cloud of smoke bursts before me out of which an infuriated Hades advances menacingly. "Who are _you _to bring that up? You weren't even _there_."

I nod. "Yeah, but I know what happened."

"Oh, right, sure. I suppose _everybody _knows what happened, huh? What, you gotta rub it in my face? You being smug about how that twerp and that brainless buffoon ruined everything for me?" he demands, flames blazing all over him.

"I am simply stating what I know," I answer a great deal more calmly than I feel. "And, to be honest, _you _ruined everything for yourself."

"Oh _ho!_ I _did_, did I?" Balls of fire swirl in his hands. "DID I?"

_What the hell are you doing?_

For a second the air goes cold as I huddle behind a giant icy shield I somehow brought out. The shield sizzles with each flaming missile it blocks from Hades. "You couldn't help it, of course. You didn't know what Sora was capable of doing. You didn't know his weaknesses."

"And _you_ do? You're the know-it-all, huh? IS THAT IT?"

_Are you _trying _to get me killed? He's the Lord of the _Dead_, remember?_

I dash towards Hades, take a leap, and pound down a huge chunk of ice on top his head to douse the flame. At once the rest of his fire extinguishes and his rage melts into shock.

"Bingo." I grin. "I know everything and, knowing that, you _know _you want to know what I know."

"Uh...Ex-_cuse_ me?" he drawls with half-lidded eyes.

"I've come here because I have a proposition to make. I am willing to share my knowledge with you in exchange for something."

"And this knowledge is...what?"

"How to do away with Sora and his friends for good."

_What? No!_

"Hmm..." Hades strokes his chin thoughtfully, his yellow eyes lit with vague curiosity. "I'm listening."

"I've been traveling with Sora, so I've been able to witness him fight in various situations. I am also a keeper of memories, meaning my mind is a wealth of information about other worlds…and the strengths and weaknesses of all the characters in this story Sora has spun, including Sora himself."

"Interesting...It almost sounds too good to be true. Can you prove it?"

"I already did. I plugged your main power outlet in less than a minute. When Sora fought you, he didn't know this weak spot, and even if he did, he was never fast enough to reach your head, and even if he was, he couldn't have done anything but whiff the flame out for a second at the most before you'd burn him to a crisp."

His jaw drops and a "whoa" crawls out before he narrows his eyes. "Who did you say you were again?"

I chuckle. "My name is Imani."

_Wait, no! What are you saying? _I'm_ Imani!_

"Imani, huh?"

"Commit it to memory."

_Don't tell him _my_ name!_

"And just what do you plan to ask for in return?" He crosses his arms and shrugs. "Super strength? Immortality? Some other mundane mortal wish?"

"Invincibility," I reply. "Make my body invincible to any destruction, both internal and external."

_Invincibility? _

He barks out a quick laugh. "Hah! That's a new one. Boring, but new."

"Boring?" I repeat. "And you don't think super strength or immortality is boring?"

"Well why not pick one of those?" Hades waves a hand as he looks me over. "You're this short girl with a big mouth. I bet you're always the damsel in distress Sora has to save. Pick something that's worth your while."

"I don't need super strength or immortality. I'm obviously strong enough to beat _you,_ and you're a _god._ My immortality will come later. What I need right now is invincibility."

"What the heck are you talking about, kid?"

"To put it simply," I point to myself confidently, "I am the weapon that can destroy Sora and his friends and whoever else you wish to add to the River Styx."

It finally dawns to me. _No...  
_

Hades seems to digest my answer. "So...you're saying Sora's weakness is..."

"Me." I smirk.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **For the longest time, I was trying to figure out why Maxiin chose to escape to the Underworld. All I knew was that she intended to separate from the group. After that, I kept asking, "What the heck is she going to do _here?_" I came up with the idea of a proposition yesterday. My mind works at the weirdest times, it seems. I kind of struggled with Hades, too. Was he out-of-character?

Thank you for reading! Please review!


	40. Deal

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Hades howls in laughter. "Y-You're—pfffhahaHAhaha—You're jo-joking ri—HA Hahaha!"

"I am not," I answer seriously. "I can defeat anyone."

"Ha HA! Hoo...ho...ho...let me breathe..."

"I take it you do not think I am capable."

"Four words, kid." He holds up four fingers and stares at me with half-lidded eyes. "I'm. Not. Buying. It."

"I already proved I'm strong enough to beat you," I grumble. "I don't see what the problem is."

"The _problem,_" he air-quotes, "is that, like it or not, I got my godly butt kicked by _Sora_, too. That doesn't prove you're my ticket to witnessing his soul take a permanent swim in my river."

My lips sink into a frown. _He's got a point, I'm afraid, _Maxiin's voice sighs._ No matter. I'll do whatever I need to for the invincibility I need._

_Why do you have to do this? If you make me invincible, then_—

"Who would I need to defeat in order to change your mind?" I ask. "Name him and I will prove myself to you."

"Huh. Another interesting proposition." Hades begins pacing the floor and stroking his chin, his smoky toga billowing out behind him. "Who should I make you fight...?"

"What about resurrecting the Hydra?" a grunting voice suggests.

"Or calling Cerberus?" another voice squeaks.

My eyes land on Pain and Panic who've got big smiles and eyes tinted with both hope and fear. They must have been hiding while Hades was trying to incinerate me. Suck-ups.

_It's bad enough that you insult me and my friends._

_I know you feel the same way about these two pathetic excuses for demons._

Suddenly an explosion sounds off as pieces of stone fly everywhere. When the dust settles, an angry Hercules steps forward through the now-much-bigger crack in the wall. "Hades!" he growls.

"What do you want, _Herc?_" The god rolls his eyes lazily, emphasizing the nickname so it sounds like "Her-kuh". "I'm busy."

"I'm looking for someone. Do you know where a girl named Imani is?"

"Imani?" He eyes me with a mischievous glint. "Short? Dark hair? Likes the color purple?"

"Don't forget her big mouth!" Pain chimes in. Before he can laugh, I grind my foot down on his head, reveling in his moans of agony.

"According to Sora, that's what she looks like." Hercules glares at Hades. "You know where she is, don't you?"

"She's standing right in front of you." Hades rolls his eyes again.

The hero turns his attention to me. "You're Imani?"

"Yes," I answer, my voice laced with a hint of exasperation. "What of it?"

His glare dissolves into a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness I found you. Sora and the others were searching everywhere for you. They said they lost you in another world."

_They're looking for me? _

"They want you to head to Hollow Bastion. They'll meet up with you there."

"No."

Hercules pauses for a moment before stuttering, "W-Wait, what do you mean, 'no'?"

"My business here isn't finished," I state. "_After_ I'm done, I'll go to Hollow Bastion."

"You...have business with Hades?"

"Yes, but he's taking _much _longer than I expected to determine a suitable enemy for me."

"Can I just ask you something?" Hades places a hand on my shoulder. "Why invincibility, huh? If you claim you're strong enough to beat Sora, then what's the problem?"

"Beat Sora?" Hercules repeats incredulously.

"Strength isn't the issue," I answer. "What I lack is endurance. My _body _simply refuses to last as long as I wish whenever I fight."

_Because you're so sadistic! _I protest. _You're not the one suffering!_

"Invincibility would ensure I don't run out of energy to annihilate my enemies."

"Wait! Beat Sora? Imani, I thought you were his friend!" Hercules tears me out of Hades' grasp and looks at me confusedly. "Why are you talking about hurting Sora?"

"I'm _not _his friend," I reply bluntly. "My friends are the agents of darkness."

"Who are you? You can't be Imani. You're nothing like what Sora said you would be."

"Sora is naïve and delusional. All you _heroes _are."

Behind me, Hades laughs again. "I like you, kid. Tell you what—" he yanks me away from Hercules, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, "—you defeat Herc the Jerk here in, say, _two _minutes, and I'll give you your invincibility."

"Imani, you can't do this to Sora!" Hercules pleads. "Don't do this."

"That isn't Imani."

The owner of the new voice—a man in black with blond spikes and cold eyes—steps into the chamber through the gaping hole in the wall Hercules left. "Sora said Imani was being controlled by someone called 'Maxiin,'" he mutters, tightening his grip on the long, thick sword he carries. "That's who you are, isn't it?"

I shrug. "Call me what you will. It really doesn't make me any less stronger than I am, Cloud Strife."

"Cloud!" Hades opens his arms wide as if inviting him for a hug. "How's it going? Long time no see! Went against any deals you made lately?"

"_You_, on the other hand," I turn to the death god, "must call me 'Imani.' If you call me otherwise, the invincibility you grant me will not seep permanently into my body and I will only be invincible when I possess Imani completely like I am now."

"So you _aren't_ Imani," Hercules sighs. "Whoever you are, get out of her now."

"Unfortunately, this foolish girl cannot exist without me. In the same way, I cannot exist without her. Hence, I have no intention of leaving. Tough luck, _blunder boy_."

"Is it because you're a Somebody?" Cloud questions as Hercules clenches his jaw.

"Must everyone ask such repetitive questions?" I sigh and turn to Hades. "Will you _please _hurry _up_ and name the person I must fight to prove myself to you?"

He smirks. "You know what? If I count correctly, I was up against at least _three_ idiots last time."

"_Sora!" Hercules calls, leaping out of the way so Sora can swing the keyblade and slam the globe of light into Hades. Seconds later, Sora, Hercules, and Goofy charge head on towards the fazed god of death._

"Fine. You may name up to three individuals for me to fight," I concede easily.

His narrow face molds into a toothy grin. "Actually, _two_ should be fine. Oh, and what do we have here?" Hades feigns surprise, waving his arms at Hercules and Cloud. "We have _two_ guests! I think you _two_ fit the bill nicely."

I wail. _Fight Hercules and Cloud? Hercules _and_ Cloud? _Hercules _and _Cloud?

"Hades, we didn't come here to fight."

"We're only here for Imani."

"Oh come on. It'll only take _two _minutes. You both can handle a little _girl_, can't you? Or are you afraid she'll get hurt?"

_Fight Hercules and Cloud in _two_ minutes? I can't do that! They'll break me in pieces if I fight them!_

"I think they're more afraid that I'll _beat_ them," I comment.

"Ooh! You're getting called out by a girl!"

"Maxiin, don't do this," Hercules pleads. "There's no point in fighting us."

"Weren't you listening? By winning this fight, I become invincible. If Sora's told you anything about me, I'm sure you're informed of how powerful I already am. You've no choice but to fight me if you want to change destiny."

Hades shrugs. "Listen to her, kids. She's a smart one."

"Maxiin—"

"If you continue to refuse, I'll resort to force. You have five seconds to come at me before I knock you both to the ground."

_Maxiin, listen to them! I don't want to do this._

_I do. _"Five."

Hercules steps forward, face more stern than before. "Maxiin, don't do this."

"Four."

"You're wasting your time here! Hades isn't going to grant you anything! He only wants me dead!"

"Au contraire, Herc. Imani or Maxiin or whatever has shown me she's much more reliable than _some_ other person I hired in the past."

I stretch out my fingers. "Three."

Cloud ignores the jab. "Sora and the others are worried about you. They're hopping from world to world, searching for you."

_Fools. _

_Maxiin, you can't do this._

_Watch me. _"Two."

"Imani," Cloud calls, his blue eyes scanning my face, "if you can hear me, I'd like to apologize."

_Apologize? For what?_

With a flick of his fingers, he unwraps his Buster Sword from its ragged coverings. "Sora explained how he managed to save you in Halloween Town and it seems I have no choice but to release Maxiin's hold on you with my own force."

_This _can't_ be happening.__  
_

I smile. "One."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Hooray for Cloud! I was debating bringing in Auron, but I got confused after watching the ending credits and seeing him disappear, so I didn't know if he was still alive or whatever. (I'm not as well-informed about Final Fantasy as I'd like to be.) I knew that no matter what, I'd get Cloud to make an appearance at least ONCE in this story. Please review! Thanks for reading!


	41. Healing

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **It's kind of crazy to believe I've made it this far in this story. Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

Ear-piercing clangs fill the musty air as Cloud rushes past the fallen Hercules to charge at me once more. "You deny being friends with Sora yet you use two of his keyblades?" he shouts.

"That's not hard to comprehend." I shrug. "He's _worried_ about me, so he lets me wield them. Thoughtful, really, considering how interesting fighting with keyblades has become since _you're_ my opponent."

Not a split-second goes idle by either of us—we slash, I slice, he parries, I _laugh_—

"This is just as entertaining as I thought!" I push him back, smiling so widely I might tear my cheeks. "Your speed and strength are impressive!"

On and on it goes with Hercules joining every so often only to be thrown aside again. I haven't broken a sweat yet. I don't even feel like I'm doing anything. My body just moves and moves while my mind sits back in a haze.

"OH! It looks like Blunder Boy's DOWN after only _forty-five seconds!_" Hades announces with the zeal of a sportscaster. "That _has_ to be a record, ladies and gentlemen!"

_No! I beat him?_

_Of course you didn't. _I_ did. _

"It's down to _two_ contesters now! Who will triumph over the other? Will it be the _promise-breaker _or the _deal-maker? _Only thirty seconds left!"

_Thirty seconds?_

If it's even possible, our blade banter increases in speed. "What's the matter? Getting desperate?" my voice taunts barely louder than the noise.

"Twenty seconds!"

"Stop doing this to Imani," he growls. "She doesn't want you controlling her and destroying all she's worked for."

"I _am _Imani," I correct him. "I know what I want—"

"Ten!"

"—and I'm going to get it."

"Nine!"

Effortlessly I swing aside Cloud's huge sword—

"Eight!"

—and thrust my arms down across my chest—

"Seven!"

—and kick him into the wall so roughly his body makes a dent—

"Six!"

—while stabbing the rock by his head on either side with lances—

"Five!"

—crisscrossing them over his chest and limbs—

"Four!"

—pinning him down completely—

"Three!"

—and aiming the point of one of my keyblades at his heart.

"Two!"

I smirk.

"One!"

He lets his sword clatter to the ground.

"ZERO!"

* * *

_Lead weight seems to course through my veins, weighing down my entire body. I can only breathe and blink but I can't clear away the stars flaring in my vision. __I can't find the will or the energy to move at all. Opening my mouth takes too much effort. Maybe it's because Maxiin possessed my body for a more prolonged time than before. My exhaustion must be extending into my sleep now._

Correct. Perhaps you don't remember, but I withdrew shortly before you passed out so Hades could bestow invincibility on you.

_I feel anything _but_ invincible._

Because you have to bear with the aftereffects of my control. You will need to recover fully before you can experience being invulnerable.

_I would sigh exasperatedly but the weight my chest is too heavy._

_Instead of a biting comeback from the voice, I hear the familiar warping sound of someone's arrival followed by brisk footsteps heading in my direction. If my neck could move, I'd turn to see Vexen storming up to me, but as it is, I have to wait for his long blonde hair to tickle my nose as he kneels down beside me before I realize it's him._

_He stares down at me for a moment before he snootily remarks, "It appeared you haven't found control over your dark counterpart. The Superior is disappointed.__" _

___My brow inches together as much as I can get it to and I narrow my eyes into ghost of a glare.  
_

___"__However, your experiences have been informative," he sniffs, moving to take a seat, "so he doesn't consider you to be totally worthless."_

_Nice to know.  
_

_The air around me takes a sharp drop in temperature. Something wet and cold settles over my body like a blanket, seeping through my skin and into my stiff muscles. I shiver uncontrollably at the icy sensation. What is he doing?_

_"__I was sent by the Superior to administer the first half of this muscle therapy," he says. "This should alleviate a great deal of the pain you'll experience when you wake."_

_I blink. __Xemnas sent Vexen to help me? _

_"__The memory's wiles can be cruel," he murmurs, wrinkles forming between his furrowed eyebrows. "In its silence, we forget. In its obsession, it binds our hearts."*_

_My eyes widen a fraction._

_"__You're the epitome of that truth. You've uncovered many more truths for us, and you've shown proof of the promises you've made. Your actions have caused a great deal of us to reconsider ourselves, Ima...Maxiin."_

_I stare at him, mentally pleading for him to look my way and answer the questions firing off in my head. Have you been thinking about his Somebody memories? Have the others? Is it working? Is that why Xemnas sent you to take care of me? Are you becoming more like Somebodies? _

_Damn my immovable mouth._

_"__Where is he?" Vexen mumbles to himself, glancing over his shoulder. "If he doesn't get here soon..."_

_"__I'm right here."_

_Vexen faces forward again and sighs when he sees the newcomer. "About time, Number VIII. If you'd come a minute later, it would have been _your _fault she'd frozen to death."_

_Something squirms in the pit of my stomach as memories of my last argument with _Number VIII _play in my head. My heart feels like it's heavier than my entire body combined.  
_

_"_My _fault?" he scoffs. "You know you could rub her arms to warm her up until I arrive. Common sense, genius."_

_"__That would do no good, imbecile. My hands are colder than the average_—_"_

_"__Whatever. I'm starting now. Go before you start complaining about how hot it is."_

_He glares as he stands up, glancing down at me before walking out of my sight. _

_With a grunt, Axel sits cross-legged next to me, hovering his hands a few inches above my chest. A warmth radiates from them, crawling into my body and slowly moving through my veins. _

_Not once do his green eyes meet with mine._

_Did Xemnas send you, too? I bet you cursed behind his back at your luck. This is awkward for me, too, you know. I wouldn't be surprised if you were laughing secretly at how pathetic I must look to you._

_But that doesn't sound like something you'd do. You really care for your friends. You've got more heart than anyone in the Organization...besides Roxas. You, Roxas, Namine, and Xion...I can't understand why..._

_My eyes soften and a corner of my mouth twitches. _Sora_. Of course.  
_

_"__Vexen suggested this muscle therapy thing," he finally speaks, moving his hands down my body steadily. "He gave this whole science lecture about temperature and the human anatomy and stuff. Not sure why, though. It could be because you showed everyone how useful his ice power is. Or he could be doing it for self-fulfillment. Or he could just be sucking up to the Superior."_

_Or he could be thinking about memories, too.  
_

_Axel reaches my toes then works his way back up. "Whatever you're thinking could be a possibility, too. A sappy one, I'm sure."_

_I give a silent snort. He hit the nail on the head._

_"__I'm turning up the heat," he warns, making another move towards my feet from my head. "It'll be intense, but just bear with it. It should be worth it, according to Vexen."_

_Just don't cremate me, please. I played with fire enough for one day._

_Silence echoes louder than the vortex that always announces the arrival of the Heartless. If only I could talk...but even if I could, I'd probably tick him off again with my questions. I settle for biting my tongue as the heat makes my muscles feel like jelly. _

_"__Done," Axel declares after a few minutes, cracking his knuckles and stretching out the kinks in his neck. "Try moving something."_

_Hesitantly, I fist and expand my fingers. Not bad. I feel a lot more loose than before._

_He props up his head on his elbow. "Can you do anything bigger?"_

_I bend my arms, move my wrists in circles, and shrug my shoulders. _

_"__I guess that'll do. Vexen wasn't specific about what you should or shouldn't be able to move. You should be fine. You still have to get lots of rest, though." Axel moves to get up_—

_Wait!_

_His still-warm hand twitches in mine when I grasp it.__ Though confused and a little on-edge, he finally looks me in the eye for a few seconds and sighs. Axel settles back down, propping up his head and gently curling his fingers.

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **The entire time I wrote the dream part, I kept replaying those old Shaq commercials of Icy Hot. I don't know how the idea of temperature therapy came up—I only wanted to bring in Vexen since he hadn't made an appearance yet. What'd you think? Thanks for reading!


	42. Bells

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Hope you enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

The only two words circulating through my brain ever since waking up are these: _They lied. _Needles and bullets of fiery pain sear through my body even when I do nothing but _breathe_._  
_

"Are you _sure _you want to go now?" Hercules asks for the fourth time, his face creased in worry. "You look like you're in more pain than I am."

I hiss sharply as Cloud lifts one of my arms over his shoulders. "I should go," I slur through gritted teeth. "Sora and the others are waiting for me."

"Can't they wait a day or two?" the former damsel-in-distress Meg insists. She flinches when I let out a yelp as Cloud shifts me a little too roughly in his arms. "I really think you should rest up before you leave."

"Th...anks...b...but I'm still going."

Meg sighs. "If you say so."

Hercules eyes Cloud warily. "Be careful with her."

Cloud nods indifferently. "I know."

"S-S-Sorry about earlier," I apologize, hoping I sound sincere enough despite how intensely I'm clenching my jaw.

A corner of his mouth crooks up. "Nah, no worries. Get going before we _make _you stay."

* * *

A flood of questions spew out of Sora's mouth from the moment Cloud steps off the portal. "Are you okay? Where were you? What happened? Why's Cloud carrying you? Did you get in a fight? Are you injured? Did Maxiin make you do something bad? Wha—"

"Sora," Cloud interrupts. "She rests, I'll talk. Agreed?"

He earnestly nods, rushing to the door of Merlin's study while his mouth runs a mile a minute, informing us of how worried everyone was and how glad they'll be to see we're both okay and...

* * *

_"They lied," I grumble, half-relieved that talking has become effortless again. _

No they didn't. If Vexen and Axel hadn't performed therapy on you, the pain of merely lying still would have driven you to consider begging Cloud to slit your throat.

_Sighing, I struggle to sit upright and stare blankly into the abyss. "A fact _you_ must be happy with, I'm sure. My death would be yours, too."_

Naturally, but I doubt Cloud would do such a thing anyway. He knows you have something you want to accomplish, and he'll support you in any way he can.

_My mouth quirks into a soft smile. "He'd probably drag me back to Hollow Bastion without a word, no matter how loudly I scream."_

'Quiet but stubborn' is what you're alluding to, isn't it?

_"You know it."_

_The voice laughs merrily, and soon I find myself joining in, my chest bubbling and my smile widening._

_Wait. That laugh...it sounds like bells...Maxiin's never laughed like that before..._

In a way, we're very much alike, aren't we?

_With a slight shake of my head, I shove aside my peculiar thought and ask, "Alike with who?"_

Cloud. He and I are alike.

_I scrunch my face confusedly. How is Maxiin anything like Cloud? He isn't nearly as sadistic or uncaring or_—

No, I mean _you_. Cloud and you are a lot alike. I just said 'he and I' because you and I are one.

_Yes, as you've pointed out a thousand times before. "How are we alike?"_

We both seek to defeat the darkness inside us. Cloud struggles with Sephiroth, and you struggle with your own dark alter-ego.

_"With _you, _you mean? I suppose you're right in that sense, but Cloud's lucky enough to get a rest from Sephiroth when he needs it. _You_, on the other hand, never ever listen to me."_

I do listen to you. I'm listening now.

_"You're only listening to me because you can't overwork my body otherwise it'll take longer for Hades' invincibility power to take effect," I argue. "You're always set on using me to do what _you_ want, and every time it conflicts with what I want. You're so selfish_—_and don't you tell me that I'm calling myself 'selfish.' From the beginning, it's always been about Sora and Riku and Kairi and Axel and Demyx and Zexion and everyone else and never about m_—_"_

_I stop wide-eyed, the remnants of my outburst echoing in the gloom. A cold sweat breaks out on the back of my neck. I don't dare to breathe._

_I...was _shouting _at _Maxiin_. _

It's relieving to just let it all out,_ the voice says calmly._ For you, especially. The psychological stress weighs heavily on you whenever you're released from your darkness' hold.

_Those words lack its usual sharp edge. Where's the name-calling? Where are the derisive comments about my friends? Where are the threats and the warnings?_

When you wake, you'll feel significantly better than you did upon your arrival to Hollow Bastion.

_Oh, so that's it. The voice just wants me to recover quicker. _

I am sincerely concerned for your well-being. I always have been, Imani.

_Maxiin _never_ calls me "Imani." Never, ever, ever._

_"Who...Who are you?" I ask cautiously. "And I know you're me, but...you know..."_

_The voice laughs again, the bell-like sound only serving to drown me in more confusion. _You may call me Maxiin.

_My shoulders slump and my jaw drops. "What?"_

_"For your information, if you continue to babble like that, everyone will think you've gone loony."_

_I jump at the more masculine, British voice, whipping my head over my shoulder. "How long have you been here?"_

_"Long enough to hear you carrying on an imaginary conversation with yourself." Luxord crosses his arms._

_"I-Imaginary_—_I wasn't talking to myself! I was talking to..."_

Maxiin. Call me Maxiin.

_I jump a second time. "You're still here?"_

Well, _you're_ still here, so I am, too_._

_I whip my head to Luxord as I scramble to my feet. "I wasn't talking to myself!"_

_He cocks an eyebrow skeptically. "Who were you talking to, then?"_

_"__M...Maxiin," I reply, the answer rolling awkwardly off my tongue. "Couldn't you hear the voice?"_

_"__If I could, I wouldn't be asking you these questions, would I?" he yawns. "Zexion attested he witnessed encountering Maxiin through you, and I'm afraid I see no similarity."_

_"__B-But it's really here!" I cry. "We were talking and it called me 'Imani'! Honestly!"_

_"The voice you're hearing called you something other than 'foolish girl'? He takes a moment to absorb my claim then pinches the bridge of his nose wearily. "If you ask me, that only serves to support my theory that you're going mad.__Perhaps you've become susceptible to delusions as a side effect of your newly acquired invincibility." _

_He disappears just as loud sucking noises erupt in the darkness. __I sigh long and loud, my body deflating.  
_

Don't be rude to them, fool.

_Fool? _

_"__Maxiin?" I try._

Who else could this be?_ the voice snaps._ _Yes,_ this is Maxiin.

_What happened to the other voice? The one that called me by my name?_

Foolish girl, don't waste your time wondering about nonsense. The Heartless are waiting for you._

* * *

_

**Author's Afterthought: **Thanks for reading! Please review!


	43. Led

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Hope you enjoy reading! Thanks for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

I wake with a start, slightly breathless. There were so many of them. It was overwhelming. I couldn't find the words to tell my brain to call some sort of weapon. All I could do was buckle my knees and clench my fists as my heart raced and Maxiin's voice thundered in my ears, "Welcome." It reminded me of the very first night I saw those strange yellow orbs. This time, though, there was no "Imani! Fight!" to snap me out of my frozen state. There was only Maxiin.

"You're awake."

I cringe, darting my vision to my bedside. Soft, brown, tired eyes seem to send waves that travel through my body and calm my nerves. "Aerith."

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she murmurs, squeezing my hand. "You seem to be doing better than when Cloud first brought you."

"How long have I been asleep?" I ask as a yawn stretches through my mouth.

"Three days. We were all worried about you. Sora kept trying to fall asleep so he could check on you and the voice."

My brow furrows. I still couldn't hear him.

"Are you thirsty?" Aerith reaches for a glass of water with her free hand, placing it on the bedside table to help me sit up.

_My muscles don't hurt anymore,_ I notice, gulping down every last drop.

_"The psychological stress weighs heavily on you whenever you're released from your darkness' hold. When you wake, you'll feel significantly better than you did upon your arrival to Hollow Bastion."_

That voice...

"Imani? Are you alright?"

I jerk out of my thoughts and nod a bit more enthusiastically than I feel. "I'm fine! I'm just a little tired."

Aerith sighs with a warm smile. "Let me go warm up tonight's dinner for you. You should eat something." She stands and pads to the door. "I'll bring it here, so you just rest."

The door shuts and I let out a deep breath. I was out for three days, huh? It certainly didn't feel like three days.

_"Foolish girl, don't waste your time worrying about nonsense. The Heartless are waiting for you."_

I wriggle further underneath the warm quilt. _The shorter, the better,_ I decide with a shiver—

_Rise._

—that quickly escalates into a full-on jolt through my body. Whipping the quilt off, I swing my legs over and touch down on the smooth wooden floor.

_Walk._

One foot steps right after the other, leading me to the door. I can do nothing but watch in horror.

_Get out._

My hand grabs the doorknob and nearly twists it off as it thrusts the door away from me. A loud bang stabs the silence when the door hits the wall, but I can't flinch. Without wasting a moment, I march down the hall and out the front door.

I've lost control. Again.

"Imani?" Aerith calls behind me.

_What are you doing?_

_You knew this was coming._

I stomp down the chilly cobblestone streets. No streetlamps guide me, but my feet seem to know where they're going. Or, at least, Maxiin does.

_Jump._

I jerk down into a crouch and leap into the air, landing on a higher level. The action happens so quickly I feel like throwing up. Where am I going?

From what I can see through the moonlight shadows, my legs lead me through a covered area, up and down several slopes littered with pieces of rubble, and through some sort of narrow opening in a wall.

"...ani..."

I keep walking, but my ears twitch at the distant voice.

"...mani..."

The voice got a little louder that time...

"Imani!"

_Leon!_

_Run._

Strolling becomes sprinting, the wind against my face making my eyes water and my skin shiver through my clothes. I left my jacket back at the house.

"Imani! Wait!"

_Stop._

The heels of my bare feet dig into the hard ground. Tall jagged walls of stone loom over me on both sides, and I can make out parts of what look like a large broken door opening. Patterns of sea green, blue, and silver paint the ground.

_"Silence, traitor."*_

Water crashes down on me from above, seeping into my clothes and chilling me to the bone. An intense weight pulls at my heart as images of pillars of water and huge bubbles dancing around the courtyard fill my head. Demyx stands in the middle of it all one moment, riffing on his sitar, but the next he's on his knees, wailing as he disappears for good.

"Imani!"

Footsteps pound to a halt behind me.

_Remember, you brought this on yourself._

"Why did you just leave?" Leon wants to know, his voice ricocheting off the rock walls. "What are you doing here?"

_Consider this a warm-up exercise._

"Answer me, Imani."

_Weapon._

My fingers curl around smooth metal as I breathe in deeply, spreading my arms towards the night sky. A surge of energy races through my veins and my lips move silently to form the words, "Moon, shine down."*

"Imani!" a female voice—Tifa's—shouts from farther away.

"Are you Maxiin?" Leon demands.

Effortlessly, I lash out in his direction, sending a strong gust of wind that pushes Tifa back. "Maxiin, Imani...Call me what you will," I declare. "Different name, same fate."*

"What are you doing?" Tifa does her best to break through an invisible wall that's risen before her, but even her immense strength can't penetrate it. "Maxiin! Stop this!"

Leon narrows his eyes. "Do you intend to fight me?"

"That depends," I smirk. "If you'd rather be smashed to pieces, I can arrange for that."

"Maxiin!" Tifa screams. "Imani just woke up! How can you put her through something like this so soon?"

An icy laugh from me echoes loudly. "I _am_ Imani. I know what I am capable of."

_I don't want to fight!_

_You can't stop me. I am _invincible _to your stubborn will._

From nowhere, Leon unsheathes his Gunblade. "I guess I have no choice but to fight you."

Tossing the claymore lazily in one hand, I nod approvingly. "Good. Here I come."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Thanks for reading! Please review!


	44. Wrong

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments:** Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

My head burns with feverish heat as I swing and pound and thrash at Leon. His sweat, my laughter, and his gasps for air mingle in the night. "You're too slow!" I roar, pummeling the claymore so hard into the ground the earth quakes beneath my feet.

"Stop using Imani!" he shouts, aiming his gun at me.

"Not listening!" I sing-song, swinging Lunatic back and forth at him.

"Hang in there, Leon!" Sora—when did _he_ get here?—cups his hands around his mouth. "Her berserk power is almost gone! She'll need to stop to recharge!"

Just as Sora pointed out, my body begins to lose steam. I can't swing really fast anymore and the adrenaline rush dissipates. My arms sag lower to my sides and my movements become more fluid.

"Now, Leon!"

A bang pierces the night and my shoulder jerks back suddenly. Slightly surprised, I turn to Leon, whose smoking gun is aimed directly at me. His stormy gray eyes widen. "How...?"

Something small sparkles in the moonlight as it rolls along the ground. The corners of my mouth curve upwards into a grin, but my still heart sinks deeper into my stomach. I didn't feel it at all.

"Nice try," I snicker. "Not the _smartest_ thing I've seen you do, but the effort is still entertaining."

He lowers the barrel-point, glaring at me amidst his dark bangs.

"What? Finished already?" I tilt my head to the side playfully.

"We're nowhere _near_ done," he growls.

I roll my eyes. "Oh save it. I was going to hold off on you anyway." Without moving a muscle, I lift the invisible barrier, letting Sora, Tifa, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and the king rush to Leon's side. I send away the claymore and watch them converse among themselves as they try keeping Leon on his feet.

_You're letting them go?_ I prompt hopefully.

_Of course not. I'm preparing for Act Two._

"This is _really_ getting old," Sora proclaims, poising himself in front of me with his keyblade in hand. "What's _with_ you? You just don't know when to quit!"

Immediately my smirk falls into a frown. "No, _you_ don't know when to quit. None of you do. You don't understand that I am superior to you in every way and that you can do nothing to stop me."

"You're so full of yourself!" Donald screeches irately.

"I'm being honest," I sneer. "No bullet or blade will harm me."

Sora tightens his hold on the keyblade as everyone but Tifa and Leon assume battle stances around me. "We'll see about that."

"You honestly believe surrounding me is going to give you an advantage?" I ask dully. "I'm _invincible,_ remember?"

"That doesn't mean you don't have a weakness," Riku retaliates.

"You've gotta have a weak point," Goofy nods determinedly.

"Well I _don't._" I cross my arms.

"Actually, you do." The king stands straight and tall, glaring at me. "_We_ have something that _you_ don't."

_Really? _I wonder, feeling half-guilty for doubting him.

"Enlighten me, _Your_ _Majesty_," I challenge. "In what imaginary way do you fools surpass me?"

"Our hearts and our wills concur," he answers confidently. "We follow our hearts and believe in them, and with the power of our hearts we strengthen our wills. _You_, on the other hand, keep pushing _your_ will against _Imani's_ heart."

"How many times must I say it?" I snap. "_I. Am. Imani_. Both our wills and our hearts are the same."

"You're wrong," Sora shouts. "You're _not_ Imani. You may be the darkness in her, but you're not _her!_"

I throw my head back in laughter. "Let's see if you still think that way after _this_."

A huge shockwave-like sensation rushes from my chest through my arms and legs. I inhale sharply as the tremor reaches my head. My heart beats life into me again.

_The real punishment begins now._

"I...Imani?" the king tries. "Is that you?"

Experimentally I flex my fingers and search my body. Do I really have control again?

"Are you okay?" Sora immediately lowers his keyblade and races forward with Donald and Goofy following closely. "You're not hurting?"

I shake my head. "N-No—"

"Sora, wait!" Riku yells.

The three halt a few feet away from me. "What's wrong, Riku?" Goofy asks.

"How are we sure Maxiin isn't just _pretending_ to be Imani?" he points out.

My eyes widen and my gut churns. He suspects me...?

"What are you talking about?" Donald demands. "Of _course_ this isn't Maxiin! She's never pretended to be Imani before!"

"But she used Imani's name to introduce herself to Hades," Riku counters. "Cloud told us so. Knowing Maxiin, anything is possible."

All speech has left me. I can only listen in shock as the sharp-edged words cut into my mind and squeeze my lungs until I can't breathe.

"How can you say _that's_ Maxiin?" Sora argues. "Just look at her! Can't you see how _scared_ she looks?"

"Scared?" Riku shoots a dark look my way. "More like _guilty._"

A knife stabs my heart. He suspects me. He thinks I'm still Maxiin.

"Now, that I think about it," Goofy ponders, scratching his chin, "We've been bugging Maxiin for a while. She'll probably do _anything_ to beat us."

Donald punches the air. "Yeah! That means she could be lying to us right now!"

The knife withdraws and stabs me twice more. Of all the times to not be able to speak...Maxiin isn't even controlling me and I can't get my voice to work...

"But what if this _is_ Imani?" Sora protests. "What if we're making a mistake?"

"What do you think, Your Majesty?" Donald turns to the king, who appears to be deep in thought as he studies me.

Can't you see? I'm Imani! I'm not Maxiin! Please, Your Majesty—

With a resigned sigh, he grips his keyblade. "We can't be too careful," he decides. "Maxiin is dangerous. We've come this far—we can't afford to take chances. We've taken enough as it is because of Imani."

The knife digs in deeper.

Sora's shoulders sag, his eyes seeking out some sort of reply to the king's reasoning in mine.

Sora, please. Please. _Please_.

Then, before my eyes, assertion smooths out the lines of confusion on his face. "You're right, Your Majesty."

The knife twists abruptly. _No._

"Imani's been asking us to trust her, but that could've been Maxiin in disguise just to make us let our guard down," he says.

Twisting and digging and twisting Sora you're wrong you all are—

"All her dreams about Organization XIII could've been lies."

—springing tears in my eyes I never lied to you—

"In fact," he leers at me, "she could've been pretending to not know what to do in that first dream with the Heartless so they could consume her and give her more darkness. She could've known I was watching and played innocent."

—choking me you don't know what you're saying Sora you saved my life that night—

"You lied to us!" Donald screeches.

"Liar!" Goofy points a finger at me.

"You must have tricked us all when you escaped Organization XIII," the king accuses, "just so you could get your way now."

Riku hisses, "We _trusted_ you."

—you'vegotitallwrongI'mImani—

"You're not Imani," Sora concludes, poising his keyblade for an attack. "You were _never_ Imani. From the very beginning, _Imani never existed._"

I fall to my knees, my fingers trembling at my sides and my heart bleeding in anguish.

_Weapon._

From all sides, the five of them charge forth with enraged screams._ No._ I shake my head and tears spill from the corners of my eyes._ I don't want to hurt them. I'd rather die right here than fight.  
_

_Either you fight or I will and you know I won't hold back.  
_

Reluctantly I raise a hand above my head and water fountains from my palm. _  
_

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Please review! Thanks for reading!


	45. Easy

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading this far!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

My clothes stick to my skin and my wet bangs fall into my eyes. I drop the sitar once they all collapse to the ground and it disappears in a splash of water and smoky miasma. My hand wipes away both icy cold water and the trails left behind by my tears from my face.

I wish I could have at least _felt_ their attacks. I'm sure the fight would've hurt much less if I could.

"What?" Riku snaps as he catches me looking at him. "No snide remarks about how _weak_ and _pathetic_ we are?"

Riku was an Aden to me. Would Aden have turned away from me like this if he ever discovered I wasn't really his sister?

"Just say it!" he shouts. "You think you're a hundred times stronger than all of us combined! You're relishing your invincibility right now!"

Would he have still stood up for me or made me waffles for my birthday or hold me tightly after a nightmare if he knew?

"SAY it!"

"Riku," Goofy huffs, "don't you think you're being a little harsh?"

"A _little_ harsh? I'm not being harsh enough!"

I stare numbly at them. If Riku and Sora did, I have a feeling Aden would...

Faint footsteps dash towards us, growing louder and louder. "Is everyone alright?" Aerith calls, hurrying down the hill with Yuffie, Cid, and Cloud.

"Imani?" Yuffie dashes to my side. "What's wrong? You're spacing ou—"

"No!" Donald squawks. "Don't get too close to her!"

She halts mere steps away from me. "Huh? Why?"

"She isn't Imani! She's Maxiin!"

I can't find the words to argue otherwise. The knife's been wedged in my heart so long I can't feel it anymore.

_Enough of this. By now you should have learned your lesson._

The split-second Maxiin takes over my body I burst into manic laughter, doubling over with my eyes squeezed shut. "That was too easy!" I squeal between laughs.

"See?" Riku utters. "She _was_ gloating over us."

Eventually, I settle down to just giggles. "I was, but not about my strength or my invincibility. I didn't go easy on you because I _wanted_ to."

"Y-You went _easy_ on us?" Sora exclaims.

"_I _did not," I correct. "The fool did."

"You mean...Imani?" the king asks.

I smirk. "Who else?"

"Quit it with the 'Imani' act," Sora glowers. "It won't work anymore."

"The 'Imani' _act?_" Cloud repeats slowly.

"You mean 'Imani' was just a _sham?_" Yuffie gasps.

"That's right." Sora struggles to get on his feet, using his keyblade as a cane of sorts. "We were all fooled."

Cid rubs his face tiredly. "What the...?"

_Too, too easy._

"Are you sure?"

I glance at Aerith calmly.

"Something tells me we're making a mistake." She searches my face carefully. "This may be my first time seeing Maxiin, but when I look at her...I can only see _Imani_."

_She can see _me?

She and I engage in a fierce staring contest before I give in with a resigned sigh. "Your intuition is sharp, I'll give you that. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to spell it out for the class myself."

"You _are_ Imani," Aerith states certainly. "_Part_ of Imani, at least."

I nod. "The _smarter_ part, yes."

"So we were fighting _Imani?_" Goofy tilts his head confusedly. "But then why didn't she deny what we were saying?"

"To put it simply," I roll my head around lazily to stretch out my neck, "she couldn't."

"Because you were keeping her quiet?" Goofy tries.

"Because she was too traumatized by those _terribly_ painful words you all threw at her," I state matter-of-factly, studying my fingernails. "And to think she still refused to lash out against you in her pain afterwards. What _horrible _friends you are."

Riku stands up with a growl. "Shut up! You tricked us!"

My eyebrows shoot up in mild surprise. "Excuse me? I didn't do anything, which made everything all the more easier. It was _you_ who made assumptions, _Ree-koo. _Everything spiraled downward because you questioned my presence."

His jade eyes widen and he's left speechless.

"The only thing I can say I 'did' was prove all of you wrong," I continue. "You say I'm not Imani? Who are you to make a statement like that? Just now you couldn't tell the difference."

No one can come up with a response.

"And to think you were trying to be _cautious_," I laugh. "'Trust' and 'caution' cannot be exercised at the same time. Either you trust me or you don't, and you apparently don't. How pitiful for the foolish girl to be betrayed by those she loved. The only instance she exercised caution was when she thought about your well-being."

While leaving them to contemplate my words, I outstretch a hand before me. A crack of darkness widens big enough for me to step through.

"Where are you going?" Aerith demands.

With a snicker, I answer, "To a realm only I know of. The next time we meet will be the hour of your destruction. I hope you're looking forward to it—I certainly am."

I stride forth into the dark corridor without looking back.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** Angst! Drama! Irony! Haha, I like this chapter _much_ better than the one before this. What'd you think? Please review! Thanks for reading!


	46. Prison

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Be warned—I have very little creative imagining as far as locations and worlds and stuff are concerned. I tried my best to describe this new place, and I really hope you'll let me know if there is anything more I can do to describe it better. Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

The sky twinkles with stars. Low, dusty mountains encircle me. A gust of wind sends chills down my spine. Where are we?

_We're home._

With a gasp and a shockwave, Maxiin leaves my body and gives me back control. _Home? In the mountains?_

_Above the mountains._

I regret glancing down when I find nothing but black empty space below the end of the narrow walkway on which I stand. The huge chasm swallows up the bottoms of the mountains, and I'm afraid it'll swallow _me_ up too if I take a wrong step.

_Stand up, fool._

_No way. _I press myself further against the ground and curl into a ball.

_Stand. UP._

As if pulled by puppet strings, my body immediately unfolds and rises onto its feet. A scream builds up in my throat as I wobble unsteadily.

_Do you _really_ want to stay out here?_

_There isn't anywhere else to go, is there? It's all mountains and space._

I turn in a slow circle then suddenly halt at the sight before me, eyes wide open and breath caught in my chest. At the end of the narrow_ long_ walkway looms an unusual castle. Strange, uneven shapes make up the towers—which don't even appear to be connected to the fortress—and eight huge, tentacle-like structures twist and curl at the base, extending out to the space below.

Eight tentacles...

_"The sea and all its spoils bow to my power!"*_

_I created this world,_ Maxiin lectures. _That castle's design came about from my memories of those Sora defeated. The sea witch, Urusla, is an example._

I study the sleek, pitch black building as the familiar stickiness builds up in my stomach. _Why did you create this place?_

_Why? Isn't it obvious? This is my domain. I will rule from here once I destroy all the other worlds. _

"I should have figured as much," I admit with a thick swallow.

* * *

I spot a few more hints of past villains as I enter the castle: an enormous bowl of fire—Hades—hanging from the ceiling of the foyer, the snake-head banisters—Jafar—of the winding staircases, and the tile floor depicting the image of Maleficent the dragon.

_I believe sleep is necessary. I may be invincible physically, but I sense your mental strength is fading. You'll find a suitable place by instinct._

Leave it to Maxiin to make me think even when it knows I'm exhausted.

Without any particular reason, I trudge up a flight of stairs and drag my feet aimlessly down the halls. I come across a few doorways, but I don't bother turning my head to peer inside; my "instinct" tells me it isn't worth the effort.

_If you can manage to be sarcastic, you can manage to find a bedroom._

I make a turn, hauling myself towards the only doorway at the end of the passage. _Am I getting warmer?_

_How interesting that you come up with smart comments when you're nearly brain-dead._

Through the doorway is a big, spacious room painted in deep reds and browns and yellows. Large gaps separate the walls from the raised floor, but an almost-invisible path from the door provides access to the level. An intricately designed balcony built into the wall faces me, but I can't find any path leading to it. I guess I've hit a dead-end.

So much for my "instinct." I must be more tired than I…Wait.

I narrow my eyes. This room seems awfully familiar for some reason. Have I been here before? Has Sora? What happened here...?

"_You really shouldn't have betrayed us."*_

"Ah!" I gasp, whipping my head around to take another good look at the room. "This is...It's exactly like..."

_The Hall of Empty Melodies, the first place I stepped out from when sneaking out of the Castle That Never Was,_ the voice recalls almost fondly.

That's right...That was the very first memory that belonged to _me_.

_Though thankful the door isn't creaky, I curse under my breath at the sight of the room. Why does it have to have so much open space? And how do I get across this huge gap?_

I suppose it is a fond memory. I was quite lucky no one else was there to see me shuffle nervously across the gap once I found the path. It must have taken me five whole minutes to travel those three feet.

_The grays and whites of the original room didn't appeal to me, but the layout is the same._

The layout...

My eyes inch to my left, focusing on a certain spot on the wall. It takes me a few moments to gather up enough courage to step towards the edge of the floor hovering in front of the wall. If what the voice says is true, then I shouldn't fall when I step off the edge and onto the empty space.

_Just walk, fool._

A squawk escapes my mouth when my foot moves before I'm ready...and lands on an invisible, flat, _solid _foothold of sorts. I stare at my feet as they appear to glide in midair towards the wall and stop abruptly. My heartbeat begins to pick up speed as I raise a shaking hand and rest it on the wall, giving it a slight push.

The wall gives way easily, revealing a long corridor. At the end stands a door...a _white_ door.

_Go._

My heart thunders in my ears as I dash down the corridor, seize the knob, and throw the door open. My eyes dart everywhere and visions explode in my head. White walls white ceiling white floor white bed window looking out into the night—

_I clench my f—_

_Heartless creep around aim—_

"_The key to all our pla—"_

—_at I'll end up drawing are scr—_

—_shattering my kneeca—_

_"_—_soon you will—"_

_"__Would you like to draw?"_

It's really here. It's my prison.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought:** Please review! Thanks for reading!


	47. Name

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

I flop onto one side on the stiff bed. I can't sleep.

My eyes rove around the eerily familiar unlit room—from the wall I leaned against while fiddling with the strings on my cloak (and knotting them so tightly it took me hours to undo them) to the seat I took next to the window while counting the hairs on my head (100,103 strands, give or take a few) to the ceiling I tried to touch by jumping on my bed (that thing was _sturdy_) to the corner from which I started measuring how many feet of floor space the room had (347 and a half heel-to-toes going from wall to wall).

Everywhere I look I remember. All my memories of being stuck here collide into each other.

_Would you like to talk?_

I sit up, slightly startled. It's that nice voice.

_I told you to call me "Maxiin," didn't I?_

_That's a little confusing._ I tip my head to the side. _I already call the other voice "Maxiin." Is there another name I could call you?_

The voice sighs. _I'm afraid calling me by a different name won't help you._

_Excuse me?_

_You wish to stop the darkness inside you, right? You're going to have to call me "Maxiin" in order for you to do so._

_I don't think I understand._

A thoughtful "hmm" follows. _How to explain it...Oh I know! Remember the last discussion you had with Zexion? The one where you told him to call you "Imani."_

Instantly the conversation plays in my head. _I remember. What of it?_

_Why didn't you want Zexion or any of the other organization members to call you "Maxiin"?_

_Because that was my Nobody name and I want to be recognized as "Imani"_—_as a Somebody.__ I call the voice—my darkness, I mean—"Maxiin."  
_

_And why do you call the darkness that?_

I pause and scan my brain for that particular memory. _It...told me to._

_And _why_ did it tell you to?_

_Because it's me? __It's _my_ darkness, so I call it by _my_ name._

_And what have you noticed since you began calling it by your name?_

I mentally fast-forward, scrutinizing the stream of memories carefully. _The darkness' power over me has gotten stronger._

_Good! That's it!_

_Huh?_ My temples are beginning to throb.

_Remember what Ansem the Wise said about _words? _"Words have power. The way one chooses to use them greatly determines his ability to cause change." This is _exactly_ what he was talking about._

"OH!" My eyes widen with realization as I exclaim aloud, "I get it!"

_Yes! I think Zexion mentioned that you empower and embody it when you call it by your name._

I leap out of bed and pace around the room. "I was so caught up with everything else that I completely forgot about that...But what does all this have to do with you? What are you that I should call you 'Maxiin?'"

_Oh, come now, Imani. __You really don't know? What would I need to be in order to help you defeat your darkness?_

_Light?_ I guess. A full guess.

_Yes! I am the light inside you._

My jaw drops. _Where have you been? Why didn't you come sooner?_

_I've always been with you, Imani. __You just never really sought me out. _

_Why can I hear you only now?_

_I'm not quite sure about that myself,_ it admits._ You were able to begin hearing me after you attained your invincibility, but I don't know how that plays into all this. I think I know why you couldn't hear me before, though._

_Why?_

_Sora._

"Sora?" I repeat.

_Not just him, but also Riku and the king and all your other Somebody friends. I think you were relying too much on _their_ light that you didn't think to embrace your own. The memories of Sora and Ventus inside you are playing a huge role in giving the Nobodies their hearts, too.  
_

_That makes sense...__Maybe my invincibility unlocked some sort of restraint on you, a restraint I had even though you might have been working with the Nobodies for their hearts...or maybe because I realized becoming invincible meant being powerless to my darkness and less able to connect with my friends, I subconsciously called to you...Is that why I can't ever hear Sora's voice in my dreams anymore?_

_Perhaps. We'll have time to dwell on it later. Right now, you—_

**BANG!**

I jump at the noise. What was that?

**BANG!**

I race to the window, craning my neck to glimpse the plank-like walkway. Thousands of yellow orbs crawl, march, and fly to the front of the castle. Lightning flashes and thunder bangs in the sky, sending down bullets of water.

My heart drops and I dash across the room, yanking open the door and running as fast as my legs can through the halls to the foyer. _This can't be happening. How did they know I'm here?_

_I brought them here, foolish girl. I'm going to absorb them.  
_

I finally run into the large front door, pausing to catch my breath and whip out a weapon before thrusting it open. An army of Heartless advances forth, covering nearly half the overhanging walkway. A chill runs down my spine at the night air whooshing past me while I stand in shock in my wet clothes and without my jacket.

_I'm going to absorb _all _of them? There has to be several thousand here! I can't take in all of them!_

The stampede's roar of trampling feet steadily gets louder.

_Just remain still and it'll be over before you know it. You won't feel a thing.  
_

_I won't let you do this!_

_You don't have a choice._

My breathing and my heart rate quicken as the Heartless march forth. What do I do?

A pair of golden eyes. _"__Words have power."_

Aden, what do I do?

A crooked smirk. _"_—_face the odds_—defy _the odds_—_"_

_Here they come! _Maxiin cackles.

A stern stare. _"You were named the Kismet Scribe at birth for a reason."_

I curse under my breath and fist my hands. I can't call the darkness that!

Blurred red and green. _"_—_I _have _it, so don't give up on me_—_"_

I can't give up. I can't give up. I _won't_._  
_

The darkness howls in hysterical laughter. I squeeze my eyes shut and cry out into the night.

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Thank you for reading! Please review!


	48. Pursuit

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

_"Imani."_

_Please...don't wake me...Just let me sleep here..._

_"You don't have time to sleep. You're gonna miss your chance.__"_

_Maxiin?_

_A hand grabs my shoulder and gives it a light shake. "Wake up, Imani."_

_What happened?_

_The hand shakes me with more urgency. "You need to wake up. Everyone is waiting for you."_

_With a little difficulty, I peek open one eye and then the other. "Ma..."  
_

_"I'm right here."_

_A hand appears before me, inviting me to take hold of it. My sluggish eyes trail up the arm..._

_Dark side-swept hair. Chocolate-colored eyes. A warm, painfully-familiar smile.  
_

_"I'm right here."_

* * *

I sputter awake to a splash of ice-cold water.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty."

Dark cloak. Crooked grin. Blue eyes. _Rock-star haircut._

"D-Demyx?" I cry through chattering teeth, scrambling to my feet and hugging myself tightly against the wind.

He waves cheerily. "Hey Imani. Long time no see."

I gape. "B-B-B-But...huh? H-H-H-How'd you...?"

"Dunno," he shrugs, scratching the back of his head. "One minute I'm in here," he jabs a finger into my forehead, "the next I'm reaching out to grab you before you fall off the edge there. It was weird, but I figured you'd know what was going on."

"I-I-I-I d-d-d-d-don't-t-t-t...A-A-A-Are y-y-you the only on-n-n-ne?"

"I kinda hope not. We should _all_ be here to help you fight those Heartless, even if you are invincible. They went in there," he says, nodding at the castle. "They were following someone...To be honest, I thought they were following _you._"

"M-M-M-Me?" I cry, my brow knitting together.

"Yeah, but then I saw you falling here, so I guess it _wasn't_ you. She looked _exactly_ like you, though. Her clothes were different, but her face..."

_That was the darkness inside you, _Maxiin explains._ I sent it out of your body so you could fight it face-to-face. We need to hurry and reach it before it takes in all those Heartless in the castle._

_How did you do that? Did you bring Demyx here too? What about the other members?_

_Start heading towards the castle. I'll explain on the way._

I turn to him. "D-D-Demyx, w-w-w-we h-h-h-have t-t-t-t-to—"

"I know," he cuts me off. "Beat the Heartless. Beat that girl. Kinda obvious."

"W-W-W-Will y-y-you b-b-b-be ok-k-k-kay with that-t-t-t? Y-You're a bit-t-t-t...c-c-c-conflict-avoidant-t-t..."

"Are you calling me a coward?" He pouts, making a break for the castle and shouting over his shoulder, "Just _watch_ me save your life!"

I manage a small grin while following closely behind him as Maxiin says, _I did bring Demyx here as well as the other members. We're going to need all the help we can get to subdue the darkness. I believe Sora and the others are here, too—they're probably waiting at the front door, trying to find a way in._

_Why can't they get in? __The door isn't locked. How did you say you brought everybody here again?_

_I—I mean, you—no, I mean the darkness—created this world. We essentially rule it, so we can do anything here. I provided a mean of transportation for Sora and his friends, and I summoned the members of Organization XIII from within your memories. The darkness probably designed the castle so that only you can enter freely._

"It's you!"

I refocus ahead of me. Sora!

Sora whips out his keyblade, eyeing Demyx warily. "I thought we finished you!"

Demyx skids to a stop on his heels, holding his hands up defensively. "Whoa, Ro—Sora, you've got the wrong idea."

"What are you doing here? Did _you_ bring all the Heartless to this castle?"

I jump in front of Demyx. "Th-Th-There isn't-t-t t-t-time t-t-to a-a-a-a-argue. W-W-We've g-g-got-t-t- t-t-to s-s-s-stop-p-p-p it-t-t-t!"

"Imani!"

"Why are you shivering?"

I shoot a glare over my shuddering shoulder at Demyx's nervously-laughing face. "W-We h-h-h-have—"

"Wait, Imani," Leon sighs, shrugging off his fur-lined jacket and stomping over to wrap it around me. "We can't understand what you're saying with all that chattering."

Immediately warmth pours into my skin and my chest. I clutch the jacket tightly and thank Leon before saying, "We have to get inside and find the darkness before it's too late."

"You mean Max—"

"DONCALLITHAT!" I scream, earning flinches from everyone. "You can't call it that name anymore! No! No more questions!"

All of them—Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, King Mickey, Cloud, Yuffie, Tifa, and Leon—swallow the questions I saw hanging on the tips of their tongues.

"We have to beat all the Heartless in there," I huff, the adrenaline rushing through my veins. "_All_ of them. You know how difficult it is to handle the darkness with the extra power of just _one_ Heartless. At the same time, we have to beat the darkness itself. It should be easy to spot since it looks like me, according to Demyx. It'd be best if I handled it on my own. Got it?"

Not a single protest is spoken, but their eyes all scream mixed feelings: awe towards the strange castle, confusion about the whole situation, awkward guilt towards me, suspicion towards Demyx...

"We're _all_ on the same side," I declare. "The only ones we must be on our guard about are the Heartless and my darkness. Open the door, Leon."

Leon shoves it open and the Heartless begin launching towards us even before we've stepped inside. There are at least eleven of us, and I know we're all skilled and experienced, but the phrase "strength in numbers" keep replaying over and over in my head, almost like a taunt from my darkness.

"You guys go!" Tifa shouts, punching and kicking several Heartless at once. "Yuffie and I will take care of things here. You've got the entire castle to cover!"

Reluctantly, I start heading up the stairs. "Be careful!"

Both girls take a short moment to flash me confident smiles.

_They're everywhere,_ I groan, swinging an arm out to grasp a keyblade. _Where am I supposed to find my darkness?_

_You'll know. Just keep moving._

"Let's split up here," Leon announces as we hit a fork in the path. "Cloud and I will go this way, the rest of you go that way."

"Be careful," I repeat my warning.

They both blink. "You know us better than to say that," Cloud deadpans. "_You're_ the one who has to be careful."

"Let's go," the king bids. "Lead the way, Imani."

_"Imani"...and he's smiling..._

I offer a small smile and the tiny warmth in my chest spreads. "Yes, Your Majesty."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Thank you for reading! Please review! Please also take a peek at "Set in Motion"!


	49. Remnants

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: **Thanks for reading this far! Only a few more chapters to go!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

"We can take them," Sora declares confidently, preparing to charge head-on into the throng of Heartless that greets us in the Hall of Empty Melodies.

Demyx's hand shoots out to hold him back. "Don't waste your energy. Let me handle this. Just get to the next room."

Sora's eyebrows rise in surprise. "Y-You sure?"

He withdraws his sitar with a splash and plays a tune, his fingers dancing along the strings. Tall walls of water ascend from the ground, pushing the Heartless out of the way and forming a path to the other side of the room. "Go!" he shouts.

Albeit a bit hesitantly, we run through the space between the water walls to the exit.

"Imani, GO! I got this!"

A hand curls around my upper arm and pulls me towards the other side of the room just as I hear Demyx bellow, "DANCE, WATER, DANCE!"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, the king, and Riku (after he's let go of my arm) fight off the Heartless that leap at us as we dash down hallways and through countless doors, following me without question. Only my gut instincts guide us further into the castle. We could be traveling in circles for all I know.

"Imani."

I glance up at Riku as we turn a corner. "Yeah?"

His jade eyes flick to mine long enough for me to see the guilt. "I...I'm sorry..."

"We all are," Sora puts in on my other side. "We're so sorry."

The warmth in my chest grows and I smile. "I know. I understand."

I dart into a room and suddenly a sucking noise erupts. In moments a gigantic Heartless looms above us, one of its arms plunging into the ground and drawing up smaller Heartless. With a loud click the door behind us slams shut.

"How do we get out?" I ask, eyeing the mass of Heartless warily.

Donald's white hand points to a hole in the ceiling. "There!"

I follow his finger and exhale in disbelief. The ceiling looks like it's at least fifty meters away.

"No time to complain, Imani." Riku pushes me towards a wall. "Start from there and dash towards me. I'll try helping you reach that hole while Sora and the others fight the Heartless."

"W-What?" I cry. "But—"

"You can do it, Imani!" Sora calls encouragingly before swiping at the monster. "We believe in you!"

The warmth in my chest bursts, consuming my heart and making it quiver.

"Let's do this, Imani!" Riku shouts, interlocking his fingers and bending over slightly.

A new surge of confidence courses through me. I rush towards him and my foot lands in his interlocked hands before the warmth gathering behind my eyes blinds me completely. He hoists me up towards the ceiling, sending me soaring towards the hole with my arm stretched out...

_No! _My eyes widen as I slow down. _Just a few more inches!_

Gravity begins pulling me back down to the ground against my will. A scream builds up in my throat as I sink lower—

"GOTCHA!"

A gloved hand snatches my wrist. Relief washes over me and I glance down at Riku who also heaves a sigh and doubles over. "Don't scare me like that!" he shouts exasperatedly.

The hand pulls me through the hole and I slide onto the floor of the room clumsily. "You're heavier than you look," my rescuer comments dryly.

My eyes flit towards the voice and I nearly balk. "X-Xigbar?"

He howls in laughter. "What's with the reaction? You weren't expecting a knight in shining armor, were you?"

"There really are more organization members here!" I murmur in awe.

"Yup." Xigbar gets up, twirling around a sniper gun. "Man, it's been _ages_ since I last used these. It feels great to shoot stuff again."

"Quit fooling around, Xigbar."

Only now do I notice the presence of another Nobody. "Hey! You're here, too!"

"We haven't found Max—the darkness' location yet," Zexion reports monotonously, "but the Superior, Saix, and Axel have progressed the furthest into the castle. I can send you to them through a Dark Corridor."

"Get going, squirt." Xigbar hauls me up as Zexion opens up a void. I sprint through to the other side, right in the middle of a fight between the Heartless and the Nobodies. Saix's roars echo as he tears from wall to wall, thrashing mercilessly. Axel hurls his chakram one after the other, sending flames everywhere.

"You've arrived safely, I see," Xemnas notes, maneuvering his ethereal blades with ease. "As you can see, we're a bit preoccupied."

"Then I'll help."

"That's unnecessary. Axel will escort you to your destination."

"I'm a little busy here, Superior."

"Leave them to Saix. He'll take care of it." His golden eyes lock with mine. "I'm counting on _you_ to finish this. You are my future reincarnate."

I reel back slightly. He's still set on making me his reincarnation?

"Fine then," Axel grumbles, trudging over to me and taking hold of my arm. "Let's go."

"That isn't right," I call to Xemnas. "Making me your reincarnation isn't right. I think you know that...or, at least, you'll understand that once this is over."

Mild surprise outlines his face as Axel drags me out the door.

* * *

_You're troubled._

I sigh quietly, dodging the chakram as it returns to Axel's hand. _What am I supposed to say to him?  
_

_Be honest. Don't back down. You've done this before.  
_

We make another turn around a corner and face off another twenty-something Heartless. _This isn't exactly the best time to try reconciling._

_This isn't the time to be making excuses. There's no guarantee we can defeat the darkness. It could really be now or never._

In record time, the twenty-something Heartless vanish in clouds of smoke and the two of us are on our way. My stomach churns at the very-likely possibility that I could fail everyone here.

_I'm just concerned. You two have become close. It wouldn't be right to—_

"Watch out!"

Axel pushes me away to lock weapons with a Soldier Heartless. "Pay attention!" He glares at me from the corner of his eye.

I glare back, slashing the Heartless into smoke without giving it a second glance. "I _was_ paying attention!"

He exhales sharply, storming down the hall and straight into a new room. "Well excuse _me_ for keeping an eye out for you. Of _course_ you were paying attention. You're the all-knowing _Kismet Scribe._"

"Is there something _bothering_ you, Axel?"

"No, of course not, _princess._"

"Then why are you—"

A sudden vortex-like sound cuts me off. The ground gives way as four hands burst up and grip the walls, hoisting up a grotesque giant Heartless with a twitching head and blank yellow eyes.

"That thing's blocking the door to the only room we haven't covered," Axel mutters. "Your darkness is probably in there."

"I guess the Heartless just _has_ to go, then."

The temperature in the room skyrockets as Axel forms a ring of flames around the giant. We both dart in and out of the ring, landing and dodging attacks as the flames lick my body and singe the fur lining Leon's jacket—

"You were right."

I glance at Axel confusedly. "What?"

"You were right," he shouts between attacks. "I _was_ being selfish. I knew from the second I left you after that argument that I was being selfish. I didn't want to admit it because I was proud. I was so proud I couldn't admit my selfishness to you until _now_—"

"Later."

We retreat back outside the ring, narrowly missing a swipe.

I gesture to the giant with my keyblade. "Let's just focus on this right now, okay?"

A corner of his mouth quirks up hesitantly. "Right."

"Amputate all the arms and then attack the head."

He and I charge into the circle. My arms rise above my head and I slash off half the monster's arms while Axel cuts the other two off. The armless body crashes to the floor, writhing and screeching in agony. With a shout I stab the monster between its yellow eyes and it instantly stills.

The flames around us die down as the Heartless fades away into smoke. "I do _not_ miss fighting these things," Axel mutters, ruffling the back of his head.

Just as he finishes saying that, the room booms with sucking sounds and Heartless appear everywhere, crawling on the walls and the floor and hovering above us—

"Just go," he says with a scowl. "I can handle this."

I withdraw my keyblade and grimace at the Heartless. "But—"

"What?" He launches a chakram. "You don't trust me?"

"N-No!" I retort indignantly. "I trust you!"

"Then go." His arms swing wildly at the Heartless. "You're the one who kept begging me to trust you, right? You have to trust me in return otherwise there's no point."

Something tugs at my brain. Didn't someone else say that to me?

"GO!" he roars.

I linger hesitantly for a moment before uttering a "gah" and whirling around to run towards the door, grasping the knob and twisting—

"Imani!"

I stop and turn to see his...smile...

"When I'm a Somebody, you and I are having a talk," he calls, a lopsided grin on his face. "Got it memorized?"

If it's possible, the warmth in my chest explodes and my heart soars. I return the grin wholeheartedly. "Don't make me wait too long."

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **The conclusion is just around the corner! Hope you'll look forward to it! Thanks for reading-Please review!


	50. Mine

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments:** Thanks for reading! Revisions are almost doooooooone!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

The door leads to a short hallway and a set of large double-doors that take up the entire back wall. Candles sitting on the walls flicker, leading the shadows in a tranquil dance. Strangely, no Heartless arise from the walls or the floor to ambush me on my way to the other end.

_Someone anticipated our arrival, most likely._

The further I walk, it seems, the dimmer the light becomes. Too soon, I find myself standing in front of the double-doors, my shaking hand inches from the knob.

Shaking? What am I afraid of? Ha ha, there's no reason to be _scared!_ No! It's just _me!_ I've fought it before! I can do this...

_You're scared._

I shut my eyes tightly, covering my face with my trembling hands. _I don't know if I can do this._

_Why do you doubt yourself? You've come so far! _

_I was only able to get this far because of everyone else's help. _My knees shake too much for me to stand straight and I nearly collapse to the ground, lungs rattled with sobs. _Every time, they saved me from myself. _Every _time. Now that I'm up against it alone..._

_You're not alone. I'm right here._

A particularly powerful heartbeat pulsates in my chest. _Here?_ I ask, tentative fingertips brushing the area over my heart.

_Right here. And I'm not the only one, either. All your friends—all _our_ friends—are here, too. _

Faces flash before my eyes: Sora Riku Demyx Donald Goofy Zexion Tifa Yuffie Cid Merlin Master Yen Sid Kairi Xigbar Luxord Aerith Leon Cloud Axel _Aden_—

_We're all here with you. We all believe in you. We all trust you._

My heart pumps faster and harder against my ribcage, the warmth surrounding it protectively.

_Isn't it about time _you_ started trusting _yourself?

Trusting myself?

_"__You have to trust your heart. You can do it, Imani!"_

_I don't have reason to trust in myself. My darkness is about to destroy everything! How can I trust myself when I know something like that?_

_Haven't you noticed how both your darkness and I say we're you, not the other way around? We don't say, "You're me." We say, "I'm you." What do you think that means?_

_That...kind of makes it sound like _I'm_ the one with power over you. _

_Doesn't it? That's how it's supposed to be. You are not us. You _define_ us. You are free to empower or subdue either one of us at will. That's what makes you uniquely you. That's one of the greater aspects of being a Somebody._

Slowly I bring my hands away from my face, and study the doors standing before me. _Then why is my darkness so bent on overpowering me?_

_It doesn't understand this symbiotic relationship. Maybe because you were created to hold a great deal of power, the darkness became arrogant and decided to use your power for itself._

I take hold of the doorknob once more and twist it. I have to put it back in its place.

The creaky door pierces my ears like nails on a chalkboard to reveal a pitch-black room with no windows. The light from the candles in the hall only reaches a few inches of floor space.

I can do this.

Cautiously I step inside, my footsteps echoing ominously. Once I travel a few feet in, the door slams shut with a bang. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. An uncomfortable, sticky weight sits in the pit of my stomach. My hands start to sweat underneath my fingerless gloves. A steady, quick-paced drumbeat pounds against my ribcage.

It's all coming down to this. The nightmares, the light and darkness tug-of-war, the rising odds...

"You've arrived. Finally."

My heart leaps to my throat and I freeze in place.

The voice laughs bitingly. "I saw that. You're afraid of me."

Clenching my jaw, I declare as boldly as I can, "This entire plan of yours stops here."

"Oh ho! Is that a _threat?_"

"That's a guarantee!"

"Empty words," it jeers, "just like every other promise you've spewed out of that quivering mouth of yours."

Don't back off! Keep your head held high.

I jut my chin out. "Fine. I'll admit it. I've made quite a few promises. And yes, maybe I can't keep all of them...but this is the _one_ promise I _will_ keep, no matter what."

"Save the declaration for someone who will actually _believe_ it."

"You will. Stop _hiding _and I'll prove it to you!"

It laughs again. "Ooh, a _challenge _now. Such strong words from a _fool_."

Fingers snap and light floods into the room. My eyes sting with pain as they adjust to focus on a girl standing inches away from me.

Short, dark hair. Round face. Shaped dark eyebrows. Slightly curled lashes.

_She looks exactly like_—

Dark, malicious eyes. Confident smirk.

—_me._

"You will _choke_ on those words once I'm through with you," she whispers.

With another snap the lights go out and warping sounds explode into the air. All around me, yellow orbs emerge from the morphing patches of space and creep closer and closer.

_There are four lanterns hanging around the room, _Maxiin informs me as I bring the keyblade out again. _Light all four and let me do the rest._

_Where's the closest?_

_Directly to your left._

In one sweep, I slay a couple Heartless and point the Keyblade somewhere to my left, shooting a ray of light and praying it hits the lantern. Light obliterates the darkness and I can see the shapes of the Heartless crowding around me.

_The wicks are short, so work quickly to light the other three._

I spot another lantern and dash for it, barreling through the Heartless masses and aiming the keyblade. More light floods the room and I have to pause and press my eyelids shut against the sting from the sudden light.

"Pay attention," a voice singsongs.

The Heartless swing and launch themselves at me furiously.

_Don't let them distract you! There's the third one!_

My knees buckles at the pressure from the sea of Heartless pressing against my legs as I aim and fire at the lantern.

_One more!_

I search around the now entirely lit room for the last lantern while waving away Heartless and clouds of smoke. I feel myself being tugged into the Heartless sea. _Where is it? I only see three!_

_Look up!_

I jerk my head up so fast my neck might have snapped. A huge chandelier-like lantern dangles from the ceiling. Tugging my keyblade from the masses, I point and shoot.

Immediately time seems to slow. The cold bodies of the Heartless rub against my legs. The lantern above me clinks and creaks from the impact of the ray of light from my keyblade moments after the wick ignites. The drumbeat in my chest pounds steadily in my ears...

Everything crashes. The light from all four lanterns beams every single Heartless in the room so thoroughly that not even a tiny puff of smoke lingers after their destruction. The entire room fades into the light—the walls, the ceiling, the lanterns...My eyes burn at the tremendous amount of light, but I can't seem to close them.

_You mustn't close them, not even for a split-second. She's going to use that split-second to her advantage. Here she comes._

_W-Where?_

Far away, a dark speck grows larger with every second, rocketing in my direction with tremendous speed.

_Fight, Imani!_

The clang of our weapons reverberates through my fingers and every bone in my body. My arms shake uncontrollably as I try to push back against her in our weapon-lock. Her face lingers only inches from mine, smiling manically.

"It's all coming down to this!" she laughs.

Once she breaks out of our lock, she doesn't spare a second to rest. Sharp clangs tear into the silence and mingle with her laughter. Her strange obsidian blade slashes and thrashes at me and I feel like I can barely keep up and I can barely _breathe_—

_Don't give in!_

"Tiring out?" she cackles. "This is too easy!"

I can't retort. I can't speak. The pounding in my chest intensifies with each clang—

_Imani! Fight!_

My sweaty palms slip against the metal of my Keyblade. To my horror and the darkness' delight, I lose my grip and ruin my parry. She swings and knocks the blade out of my grasp and out of reach so powerfully that I tumble to the ground. I failed—

_No Imani! Don't give in!_

_"_—_face the odds_—defy_ the odds_—_you _have_ it_—_"_

"FOOLISH GIRL!" she cries, bringing her blade over her head. "YOU'RE FINISHED!"

_"No! My heart belongs to me!"*_

_"_—defy the odds—_"_

_"_—_I _have _it, so don't give up on me_—_"_

Her blade comes down—

My hand reaches up—

**B-bmp.**

She freezes, her crazed smile fading and her eyes widening. "W-What...?"

**B-bmp.**

"W-What do you think you're doing?" she demands, her gaze darting from me to the hand I planted firmly over her heart.

"This," I murmur, curling my fingers in slightly, "is _mine._"

**B-bmp.**

She sputters, "H-How dare you! Take your hand _off_ me!"

**B-bmp.**

I curl my fingers in slowly, digging the nails into the fabric of her cloak until they barely touch my palm and enclosing them over a solid, warm mass.

**B-bmp,** the mass trembles.

She gasps sharply, dropping her blade abruptly. "N-No..."

Shakily I withdraw my fist from her, my eyes never leaving hers. "I'm taking this back," I whisper.

**B-bmp.**

"Never again will you take over me." My hand positions the mass over my heart, the warmth seeping through my shirt. "You're _me_."

**B-bmp.**

"NO!" she shrieks, her face—my face—contorting in anguish as I press the mass into my chest until it disappears beneath the surface.

**B-BMP.**

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Thanks for reading! Please review!


	51. Kismet

**EDITED 6/25/2010**

**Author's Comments: ***sigh* Here it is, the last chapter. Gosh...I can't remember when I started writing this. It's come such a long way. I'm sad to see it finish! I really hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you thought about it. Thank you!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani and Aden.

* * *

The darkness screamed louder than I ever imagined my lungs being capable of doing. The noise rang in my ears even after I blacked out. The only way I know what happened is through everyone else's memories. Somehow, someone found me unconscious and carried me out of the castle—out of that _world_—before the whole place collapsed into itself.

"You just _had_ to be in the uppermost room," Riku complained when I woke up. "I didn't know you were so fond of buildings with so many _floors_ and no _elevators_."

Everyone knows everything now, like how my darkness created that world and how my light brought us all together and how I subdued my darkness. I had to summarize a lot, though; their confused faces were making me nervous.

"We're just glad you solved everything," Tifa smiled. "It takes a lot of courage to stand up to yourself."

For once, I was very disappointed that I had a dreamless sleep. No one saw what happened to the Organization members. What's more, ever since waking up, I haven't heard any voices in my head other than my own. Neither the light nor the darkness in me have spoken.

"I'm not sure what happens now," I admit to Sora and Riku as we sit outside on Aerith's doorstep and inhale whatever it is she's cooking. "Am I supposed to keep encouraging the Organization members to remember so they can become Somebodies?"

"That's what you want, isn't it?" Riku cocks an eyebrow. "To give them their hearts."

I nod. "You know, I never got around to really hearing your opinions on that. I passed out before I could ask."

"That was after that incident in the graveyard," Sora says.

"Right. So..."

Sora and Riku exchange glances. "Your intentions are good," Riku carefully admits. "You're looking out for both us Somebodies and the Nobodies."

"We're just worried about Xemnas," Sora says. "He might still want to overtake the worlds and stuff. Didn't he say something about making you his incarnate when everything finished?"

"He did," I slowly nod, "but...I think I can handle it now. In fact, I think I've _always_ had power over his wishes for me."

Their eyes widen in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah," I smile, "because I'm the Kismet Scribe. It took a lot, but I've finally accepted it. I'm the past, present, and future. I am the light and the darkness. I am the entity of power. I am the writer who will inscribe all of destiny. I control destiny, including _mine_...right?"

A smile grows on each of the boys' faces. "Yeah, you're right." Sora nods. "You should be able to choose who you want to be. You're you."

"Right, and I choose to be a _friend_, not a tool. I've made that clear to all of them, I'm sure. It's up to them whether they accept my friendship or not, and I can't force them to."

"But what if Xemnas...if he becomes a Somebody..." Sora mumbles uncertainly, "what if he tries to take over everything again and reclaim Kingdom Hearts?"

"Then I'll need to convince him otherwise," I avert my gaze, "and_...if_ that happens...I really hope it doesn't, but if it _does_..."

"We'll be _convincing_ him alongside you," Riku finishes. "You don't even have to ask."

My smile widens and I shake my head in disbelief. Amazing. These _friends _I have are _amazing._

"Sora! Riku! Imani! Dinner's ready!"

Riku gets up and heads inside with Sora. "Try to eat like a human being this time, for everyone's sake."

"What're you saying, Riku?"

"I'm saying you stuff your face like a—"

"I do not! I just really like to eat!"

Laughing under my breath, I heave myself up off the ground, dusting my pants off before turning to follow.

* * *

After bidding everyone goodnight, I shut the door and make my way to the bed.

Over dinner (pot roast, bread rolls, steamed vegetables, and sea-salt ice cream) we chatted about random topics like the rising costs of weapons and equipment, how quickly the reconstruction of the bastion has been progressing, and the materia shopkeeper who always seemed to close up shop to take his lunch breaks whenever Yuffie visited. We laughed at Sora's overstuffed face and Donald and Goofy's antics. We compared battle scars (and lack thereof) from the castle. We had a sea-salt ice cream eating contest (which Sora won).

A smile creeps onto my face as I replay the last few hours in my head. We talked about everything not related to my darkness; frankly, there was nothing left to say.

_"__Are you two heading back to Destiny Islands soon, then?" Leon asks._

_Riku and Sora halt their playful banter, sobered looks dimming the light in their eyes. "I guess so, huh?" Riku finally says. "Imani's problem is solved. There isn't any reason to be away from home now, is there?"_

_"__Kairi's still waiting for us, too," Sora adds, turning to the king. "What about you, Your Majesty?"_

_"__The three of us had probably be heading home, too," he shrugs after looking at Goofy and Donald. "The queen is expecting our return."_

_"__And you, Imani?" Aerith asks. "What will you do now?"  
_

I sigh, burying myself under the covers. I'd never thought about what I'd do after everything was finished. Everyone here has a place to return to, so their paths from here on out are no-brainers. No matter how much I miss Aden, I don't think I should return to that other universe...

_"__You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like," Aerith insists. _

_"__Or at my place!" Tifa chimes in._

I wouldn't mind living with either one of them. I could help with the reconstruction here or work at Tifa's bar.

_"__You can come live at the castle with us!" Donald shouts._

_Goofy gives a funny laugh. "Yeah! You'd love it!"_

_"__The queen would be glad to see you, too." The king smiles._

The queen! I still have to thank her for taking care of me last time.

_"__There's that empty house by the general store in our neighborhood," Riku thinks aloud. "You could stay there."_

_"__Come stay at Destiny Islands," Sora says. "We've got that list of things to do."_

Pillow fights and star-gazing and...

I groan as I slip the pins out of my hair. I want to stay with _everyone!_

_"__You can sleep on it," Leon suggests. "Everyone here but Cloud and Yuffie is capable of taking care of you, so you have options."_

_Cloud grunts while Yuffie bursts in outrage, "I can take care of Imani!"_

With one blow I douse the candle's flame.

* * *

_"__Hey Imani. It's...uh...heh, I haven't decided whether to keep my name or not. You know who this is, though, right? Yeah, of course you do. I just wanted to say thanks. Because of you, I finally...I finally have one. It kinda feels weird, but I know I can get used to this. So anyway, I'm at this little inn in a town by the ocean right now. You should come see me sometime—I'll play you a song. You know where I am, right?"_

_"__Imani. Though we did not meet, I've heard from other Organization XIII members of your success at the castle. Your success has allowed many of us to find the incentive to trust you and work towards acquiring our hearts...including myself. I am one of the first, and there are those who are doing their best to remember. However, there is no guarantee that every member will turn to you; I sense a few of us will hold their pride over their desires, but I know we all understand your compromise is not selfish. Thank you."_

_"__Twilight Town. Clock tower. Tomorrow. Come alone. Commit it to memory."_

* * *

"You'll still be here when I get back tonight, right?"

"_Yes, _Imani," Riku sighs. "We won't leave until you decide where you want to stay."

"Isn't that a little unreasonable? There are people waiting for you—Kairi, your parents, the queen..."

"What? You _want_ us to leave?"

"N-No, I'm just saying..."

"You should get going," Leon cuts in. "From what I've heard about him, he doesn't seem like the type of person who enjoys waiting."

"Nah, he can wait," Sora waves a hand, "but only if he gets something out of it."

Aerith giggles before hugging me. "Be back by seven, okay? That's when we'll be having dinner. You may invite him to join us, too."

With a nod I head off down the streets to Merlin's.

* * *

The wind blows my hair around wildly as I edge around the corner of the tower to that one spot Roxas and his friends would hang out at. Sitting there is a red-haired pony-tailed man staring off into the distance in a dark jacket, jeans, and sneakers. Next to him rest two rectangular packages.

A soft smile tugs at my lips. I did it, Aden. I defied the odds.

The man seems to notice my presence and he glances my way. "Hey J-E-R-K," he drawls. "Way to make a guy wait."

I snort, taking a seat next to him. "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon. Not like this, anyway."

"I'm naturally unpredictable." He shrugs. "You should know that."

"I know," I pick up a package and tear it open, "but knowing everything doesn't mean I can't be surprised. I'm not a mind-reader. You're not the first, are you?"

"Nah. Demyx left before I did."

"Then did Lexaeus leave after you?"

His eyes light up in surprise. "_Lexaeus?_ Huh...I guess so."

We eat our ice cream bars slowly, watching the people of the town go about their business. The sunset casts an orange glow on everything and the trains chug to and from the station below us. I glance at him out of the corner of my eyes. "So...how long have you...you know...had it?"

"A few days."

"What was it like?"

He hums thoughtfully. "I just woke up in the forest outside the town looking like this." He takes a moment to pinch his clothes as he examines them, his ice cream bar held between his teeth. "Was that how you became a Somebody?"

I nod. "I didn't remember being a Nobody, though. It just felt like waking up to a new day. Aden woke me up and made me breakfast because it was my birthday, and I didn't think anything was strange. I really believed it was my birthday."

My skin tingles as he stares at me thoughtfully. "You still miss him, don't you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"What're you gonna do?"

I shrug. "I don't know yet...I might see Master Yen Sid and talk to him about Aden...but I know I can't go back there."

"Would you have rather remembered being a Nobody than completely forgetting?"

Biting off a piece of ice cream, I roll it around in my mouth as I contemplate the question. "I don't think so. If I knew about everything, then I'd never have had to meet any of you guys. I'd probably have solved everything much sooner."

He snorts. "Yeah, you took your sweet time trying to figure out what you should've done and who you were and what you were and all that. It was a total drag for all of us."

"Well, sorry," I pout.

He laughs—a full, warm laugh lacking a lot of the bite he usually has. "I'm kidding! It was worth the wait. We've got hearts now, right?"

I break out into a smile. "It's strange how destiny works, huh?"

His eyes sparkle. "What's that saying about you? _You're_ the one who's writing it, Kismet Scribe."

It might be the lighting, but his angular face appears more round. From a certain angle, his eyes appear really dark...like chocolate. That smile...

I throw my head back and _laugh._

* * *

**Author's Afterthought: **Hooray! Revisions are done! I can't believe I managed to do it in a week. I had fun—hope you enjoyed reading Imani's journey as much as I did revisiting it! So where does Imani go from here? Check out **_The Moirai Zealot_** to find out. :) (I will be re-editing that next, though, so look out for the EDITED [date] tags at the top of the chapters.)

Thank you so much for seeing this story through to the end! Please leave a review!


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